Miami Open tennis tourney put on hold

MIAMI • The Miami Open, which brings together the world’s top men’s and women’s tennis players, has been suspended due to growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, the Miami- Dade County mayor said on Thursday.

“Although we do not have community spread at this time, we want to take the pre- emptive steps to keep it that way,” Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said in a written statement, cancelling mass gatherings in the area.

The tournament said in a tweet: “We understand and support the mayor’s decision.”

A March 22 NASCAR race at the Homestead- Miami Speedway will be held without fans, the racing association said on social media, along with another event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last year’s Miami Open featured players from over 40 countries and attracted nearly 400,000 spectators.

The inaugural edition of the multi- nation Fed Cup finals that were scheduled to be held in Budapest next month was postponed on Wednesday due to the outbreak.

The cancellation of the two- week annual event, which was set to start on March 23, comes on the heels of Sunday’s last-minute cancellation of the Indian Wells tournament in Southern California due to similar concerns about the pandemic.

Formula One’ s season-opening Australian Grand Prix is set to be called off due to the coronavirus outbreak, multiple reports said on Friday.

M cL ar en already announced on Thursday they were pulling out after one of their employees tested positive.

The BBC and Sky television both reported the race was off.

The governing FIA and Liberty Media- owned Formula One had yet to make an official comment.

Motorsport. com quoted sources saying a majority of the teams were unhappy to continue and the governing FIA would accept the decision.

Olympic boxing hopefuls from all over Europe are preparing to punch their tickets to Tokyo at a qualifying tournament starting in London this weekend, with an emphasis on clean hands and hygiene in a time of coronavirus.

The Road to Tokyo event features some 350 fighters from 50 countries including Italy, the European country worst hit by the outbreak and now in lockdown as it combats the spread of the disease.

Event director John Timms told Reuters on Thursday there had been no withdrawals from the March 14- 24 tournament, other than some officials from the worst affected areas who had stayed at home.

The ticketed event at the Copper Box will see 50 men and 27 women secure their places for the Tokyo Games.