The Latest: Historic Canadian regatta in August canceled
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
The Royal St. John’s Regatta in Canada has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s the first time in 80 years that the historic sports festival in the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador has been called off.
The regatta is traditionally run on the first Wednesday in August. This year’s race was scheduled for Aug. 5.
The regatta has deep cultural and historic roots in the city. The first record of organized rowing races in St. John’s was in 1816. It celebrated its 200th anniversary two years ago and bills itself as the oldest organized sporting event in North America.
The last cancellation was in 1940 during World War II.
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Atlanta United president Darren Eales says it’s still possible for Major League Soccer to get in a full 34-game season plus the playoffs by the end of the year.
During a conference call with reporters, Eales noted that player contracts run through Dec. 31, which presumably means the league could push its MLS Cup title game to the very last day of the year.
MLS shut down in mid-march — just two weeks into its season — because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Each team has 32 regular-season games left and the playoffs usually take another month. The league has already said that it will likely push back its championship game, which was set for Nov. 7.
Eales said if the season doesn’t resume by the end of July, playing a full schedule would be very difficult.
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The New York Giants have announced their refund policy for 2020 season tickets.
If a game is cancelled and cannot be rescheduled, or is played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending, full refunds will be available to season ticket members. They have the choice to receive a full refund for any impacted games, or they can apply the amount as a credit toward a future ticket purchase.
Owners john Mara and Steve Tisch made the announcement in an email to season ticket holders on Thursday afternoon, hours before the league released the schedule.
The Giants also are going to offer a limited number of individual game tickets to season ticket holders. The owners made the decision based on a request from fans.
Anyone who purchases individual game tickets from Ticketmaster.com will receive a full refund of their ticket purchase price within 30 days of cancellation if the game cannot be rescheduled or is played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending. If a game is postponed or rescheduled, tickets are valid for the new date.
The Giants said the safety of the fans, players and staff continues to be its first concern during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Sports events in Oregon are likely to be without large crowds through at least the end of September.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday the steps the state will take as it begins reopening next week. Brown asked those planning large gatherings, such as concerts, festivals, sporting events and conventions, to cancel or significantly modify plans for anything scheduled through at least September.
That is likely to impact the NBA’S Portland Trail Blazers, the Portland
Timbers of the MLS, and Oregon and Oregon State college football.
While the NBA and MLS have no firm plans of a restart yet, Oregon and Oregon State both have three home games scheduled in September. Oregon is set to host North Dakota State, Ohio State, and Hawaii in Eugene, while Oregon State is scheduled to face Colorado State, Portland State and Washington State in Corvallis.
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New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio doesn’t see games returning to Yankee Stadium or Citi Field very quickly, at least not with fans.
De Blasio says bigger events are going to be one of the last things that will really fit the equation as the country restarts from the coronavirus pandemic. He says the perfect time to reopen big events is “almost when the disease has really been beaten back to next to nothing.” He says the danger with big gatherings, especially, is “that could be one of the things that propels the disease back.”
Opening day was scheduled for March 26 but has been postponed indefinitely because of the new coronavirus. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred believes the season will start at some point, and the league has considered playing in empty ballparks.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo put entertainment such as sports into the final phase of his guidelines for reopening the state. He’s discussed the possibility of having big league games in empty stadiums.
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Colorado Rapids coach Robin Fraser says players will use team training fields for voluntary individual workouts starting Monday.
The Rapids join a list of Major League Soccer teams taking the first small steps toward returning to play. Sporting Kansas City, Atlanta United, Orlando City and Inter Miami let players onto fields Wednesday for controlled voluntary workouts on the first day permitted by the league.
The MLS suspended the season because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 12, closing all team facilities but asking players to remain in market with their teams.
Colorado plans on using two fields for its workouts and run about eight players at a time.
Fraser started the video call a bit late because of an injury sustained while kicking a soccer ball around with daughter. No word on the type of injury.
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Horse racing has resumed in Germany, but without spectators and with mask-wearing jockeys.
The race day at the Neue Bult track near Hannover on Thursday was the first to take place in Germany since the calendar was suspended in March.
It followed talks between race organizers and the local authorities, and access to the track was strictly limited.
Jockeys and grooms wore masks and betting was only allowed online. More races are scheduled for Friday in Cologne.
Germany resumed ahead of other major European horse racing nations. The equestrian sport of trotting, or harness racing, has continued in Sweden through the coronavirus pandemic.
The German soccer league Bundesliga is set to resume on May 16.