Sporting world mourns for Paris in wake of attacks

PARIS: All major sporting events in the Paris region were suspended on Saturday as F rance mourned the victims of the deadly attacks in the capital city the night before that left 129 people dead and 352 wounded.

Shows of respect, sadness and suppor t t ook place well beyond French borders as sport ’ s global fami ly, from Sydney to Washington to Sao Paulo, united in sympathy.

Before the Euro 2016 soccer playoff between Sweden and Denmark at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, the stadium was lit up in red, white and blue. Both teams wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence.

The shows of solidarity with France went beyond Europe.

Sydney FC soccer fans held up a vast French tricolore ahead of an A-League match against Melbourne Victory while the ice was illuminated in red, white and blue before a Washington Capitals NHL game with Calgary Flames.

Jo ckeys a t a m aj o r horse- race meeting in Cheltenham, England, all wore red, white and blue armbands and in the BMW Masters golf tournament in Shanghai, French golfer Benjamin Hebert had the message “Pray for Paris” emblazoned on his cap.

The I nternat ional Olympic Commi t tee ( IOC), based in Lausanne, said the Olympic flag would fly at half-mast.

“We stand united with all people from all around the globe.

“Our thoughts are of course with the families and friends of those who have been killed or wounded,” the IOC said. — Reuters