Sports fans hoping for a fast return to the games they love might need to temper their expectations.
Although sports leagues talk publicly about their desire to return to competition before summer, those are best-case scenarios.
Behind closed doors, they are hatching different potential plans: all 30 baseball teams playing in Arizona; home run contests to decide tie games; the Stanley Cup being hoisted in an empty arena that neither team calls home; end-of-season soccer standings decided by vote; college football games in spring.
Over the past week, The Associated Press interviewed more than 20 policymakers, coaches and players across the globe for their assessments of the situation. They all conceded that sports may not restart for months, if at all this year. Most agree that what's needed is a drastic ramp-up in testing, a vaccine or some type of improved treatment to make players feel safe to compete.
Dr. Anthony Fauci the infectious disease expert, has suggested that sports could conceivably return with no fans in arenas and constant testing for the players, who would likely need to be quarantined in hotels for weeks or months. Not all players are on board.
In other developments related to the coronavirus pandemic:
--Wayne Gretzky is optimistic the NHL will be able to resume at some point this summer. He tells The Associated Press he’s hopeful hockey and other sports will be able to come back from the coronavirus pandemic and serve as a sign that conditions are improving. Gretzky says he believes leaders in the U.S. and Canada will find a way to bring back hockey and other sports in June, July and August. The league is considering several options on trying to resume this season, including going directly to the playoffs at several neutral sites.
--William Byron won his second consecutive NASCAR virtual race by holding off Timmy Hill in a drama-free event Sunday at virtual Richmond Raceway. The most excitement came when Matt DiBenedetto was parked for intentionally crashing Ryan Preece and the two then engaged in a Twitter spat. The iRacing Series has had a sour taste since Bubba Wallace lost a sponsor for quitting a game in a rage and Kyle Larson was fired for using a racial slur.
--Charles Leclerc won his second straight Formula One Virtual Grand Prix on Sunday. The Ferrari driver started the Chinese GP in the pole position. The 22-year-old Leclerc, who has won two F1 races, only started playing the video game at the start of the month. The actual Chinese GP, originally scheduled for April 19, was postponed in February. With the F1 season halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the sport launched a virtual series to keep fans entertained. Golfer Ian Poulter came in 18th.
--Runners and residents are preparing for a spring without the Boston Marathon for the first time in 124 years. The marathon was originally scheduled for Monday, but organizers and authorities have postponed the race until Sept. 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision has stripped the streets of brightly colored singlets and opened a gap in the sporting schedule for runners from all over the world. The absence is being felt all along the 26.2-mile course.
--Soccer has resumed in Turkmenistan with spectators as the Central Asian nation lifted a suspension of its national league. Around 500 people attended Sunday’s game in a 20,000-capacity stadium in the capital. The crowd size was broadly in line with typical domestic league games in Turkmenistan and as usual attendance was free. The game ended 1-1. The eight-team league was suspended on March 24 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Turkmenistan is one of the few countries in the world not to have reported any cases of the coronavirus.
--British horse racing’s most successful flat trainer of all time is recovering after contracting the coronavirus. Mark Johnston has been isolating since having the symptoms confirmed and his family says he is making good progress. In 2018, Johnston celebrated his 4,194th winner, which is the most of any trainer in British flat racing. He has won the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas classics as well as the Gold Cup at Ascot on three occasions. All racing in Britain is suspended amid the pandemic and no return date has been set.
--The stadium of English Premier League club Brighton has been converted into the south coast’s biggest drive-in coronavirus testing center. The appointment-only center has been put in place at the American Express Community Stadium as part of the drive to increase testing for National Health Service staff and other key workers. Officials say the center was scheduled to see more than 50 NHS frontline workers on Saturday, and they will have the results of their tests within 48 hours. Within a few days, the site should reach its capacity of up to 1,000 tests a day.
--Players and coaches for Italian soccer team Roma have waived their salary for four months. The team hasn’t played a competitive match since March 1 because of the pandemic, so the players and coaching staff will forgo salaries due to them for March, April, May and June.
--Simon Pagenaud has won IndyCar's virtual race for the second straight week. The reigning Indianapolis 500 winner had to hold off Scott Dixon on the final lap Saturday. Dixon crashed into the back of Pagenaud after the checkered flag. NASCAR champion Kyle Busch made his IndyCar iRacing debut finished 13th. That’s higher than he's finished in a NASCAR virtual race.
