Break in world sport: And what now?

For the makers of the major European Football Championship and Olympic Games events, it is now time to set the course for the summer - or to discuss and decide early on a long-term postponement. Here is an overview of the current situation at the major events.

OLYMPICS IN TOKYO: So far there are no concrete signs that the games in Japan's capital are about to be postponed. Those responsible in Tokyo and IOC President Thomas Bach are sticking to the planned schedule with the opening on July 24th. There are currently no concrete scenarios or alternative dates like those for the European Football Championship. However, a solution for the qualifying competitions needs to be found as quickly as possible, although the IOC repeatedly emphasizes that they are flexible here too. IOC President Thomas Bach is currently sticking to the original Olympic plan. © APA/afp / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI

EUROPEAN SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP: 51 football games with 24 nations in a total of 12 countries: the European Football Union UEFA seems to have chosen just the wrong year for the pan-European European Championship in times of closed borders due to the virus. This Tuesday, all member states will discuss how to proceed and specifically about the European Championship. Even if on Monday brought Russia into the game as host , anything other than a postponement would be a surprise at this point. The upcoming winter and summer of 2021 have so far been considered candidates for the replacement date. On this pitch, however, the European Championship could compete with FIFA's new Club World Cup.

SOCCER LEAGUES: Serie A, like all other sporting events in Italy, is suspended until April 3rd, while the Bundesliga is temporarily suspended until April 2nd. A similarly long stop was also decided in the other top leagues. The bosses of the individual associations seem to agree that the schedule can only be adjusted if the European Championship is canceled. Decisions about titles, European Cup participation or promotion and relegation could be made in playoff form. However, further ghost games don't seem to be off the table either. But these could be necessary if you want to end the season and thus receive important TV money to secure the existence of smaller clubs. Important future decisions in this regard are to be made this week.

FORMULA 1 SEASON: After the cancellation of the Grand Prix in Melbourne and two other races at the start, the situation in Formula 1 is also uncertain. Despite the forced break, sports director Ross Brawn expects a full calendar with at least 17 races right from the start. “It will look different, but it will contain a decent number of races,” Brawn said. You could still squeeze races into the summer break, but “it depends on when the season starts,” the official added.

TENNIS WORLD TOUR: The men's ATP tour is currently on pause for six weeks, and the important Masters tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami have been canceled.

Since the tennis world rankings are always regulated over the past 52 weeks, players now lose points from the previous year without being able to defend them. If you look at the calendar for May, things couldn't look any better: tournaments in Madrid, Barcelona, Monte Carlo or Rome are difficult to imagine, as the measures are currently becoming more restrictive every day. Even the next Grand Slam, the French Open in Paris, is only two months away and is therefore threatened with cancellation or postponement.

ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: The World Cup in Switzerland is planned from May 8th to 24th as one of the next big sporting events. The world association IIHF has called several meetings on the topic this week, but could be faced with a fait accompli due to an announced decision by the Swiss Federal Council. He could impose a ban on events for the entire country - and thus also for the World Cup cities of Zurich and Lausanne. Regardless, a cancellation is only a matter of time. A possible solution: Switzerland will host the World Cup planned for this year in 2021, so all other tournaments would be postponed by a year.

US SPORTS: The planned one-month break will not be enough in the major American leagues after the US health authority now recommended that events with 50 people or more be canceled for a period of eight weeks. The professional basketball league NBA initially wrote of an interruption for an “indefinite period” and, according to media reports, gave its players the freedom to leave the teams’ cities. “I need a partner to drink wine with,” said Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James via Twitter. It didn't sound like he'd be back on the floor for his fourth NBA championship anytime soon. In the NHL it is still completely unclear when the cracks will return to the ice.

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Break in world sport: And what now?

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