Is sport coming or going?
Country’s latest Covid-19 concerns create havoc on sporting landscape with international events impacted
The fourth Twenty20 cricket international between New Zealand and Australia has been shifted and the first day of the America’s Cup sailing match will be postponed after new Covid-19 cases were reported in Auckland on Saturday.
Auckland was placed in limited lockdown for seven days from 6am yesterday with travel restrictions in and out, strict limits on public gatherings, and a ban on sports events.
The third Australia-New Zealand T20 is due to be played in Wellington on Wednesday and the fourth match of the five-match series will also be played there on Friday, both without crowds.
While Auckland is at alert level 3, the rest of New Zealand is at level 2 which has fewer restrictions but limits public gatherings to 100 people.
The last T20 of the series is due to be at Tauranga on March 7 and might be able to be played with crowds if New Zealand moves back to level 1.
NZC said all ticket holders will receive full refunds.
The alert level changes were announced late Saturday.
The Australia cricket team reportedly had already been reluctant to travel to Auckland because doing so likely would have required players to quarantine on their return home.
The 36th match for the America’s Cup between Team New Zealand and Italy’s Luna Rossa was due to begin on Saturday, March 6, but will be postponed until the following Wednesday, at the earliest.
Cup organisers had said they “would be working with the authorities and relevant agencies over the next few days to work through the implications”.
Races in the America’s Cup challenger series took place this month without crowds when Auckland was at level 2. A government exemption would be needed and strict protocols would have to have been in place for racing to take place at level 3.
Auckland’s popular Round the Bays run, which attracts tens of thousands of participants, was cancelled yesterdayy.
“We respect the need to keep everyone safe and contain the spread of Covid-19,” organisers said.
In Super Rugby, the Aucklandbased Blues beat the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday and will base themselves outside of their home city until the alert level changes.
The team is unable to train at level 3.
. Other matches in the New Zealand competition will be played without crowds at level 2.
“We’ll have to find a new home that can house us and give us what we need to train. We’ll look at all our options, whether we head to Hamilton or stay in Wellington, I’m not sure yet. We’ll look at a place that can become our home for the short term,” Blues head coach Leon Macdonald said.
The Blues have a bye in round two of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
The Silver Ferns might also be forced to play their Constellation Cup games against the Australian Diamonds in closed arenas.
The four-test series is set to start tomorrow night in Christchurch, followed by another game the following night at the same venue, before the series is scheduled to move to Tauranga on March 6-7.
The national track and field championships set to be held in Hawke’s Bay next weekend have been canned, but there are hopes to reschedule them at a later date.