The Champions League and Europa League finals were last night postponed by Uefa due to the ongoing health crisis in Europe. Originally scheduled for the end of May, no new date has been agreed although the dates of June 24th (Europa League) and 27th (Champions League) are being discussed. Earlier on Monday La Liga postponed their league indefinitely, while in Formula One the controversial Azerbaijan Grand Prix on June 7th has become the eighth meeting of the season to be called off, and Australia's rugby league competition (the NRL) has also suspended its season. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shed light on the background to his coronavirus diagnosis, which hastened the Premier League's decision to suspend the season's activities, and Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy is in self-isolation with his wife after near neighbours in London tested positive for coronavirus. He describes their situation as "frightening".
The Irish racing and gambling industries are putting livelihoods ahead of lives, writes Brian O'Connor this morning. Racing continues in Ireland behind closed doors, and yesterday afternoon Lemista landed the big race for Ger Lyons as the Irish Flat season opened at Naas. In this week's Pay for Play pages, Ruaidhrí Croke asks could a lack of live sport lead to problem gambling? "These are lean times for betting companies and anything will do. They are also times of boredom and isolation for lots of people and that could result in a dangerous combination."
In his column this morning, Gerry Thornley explains why the IRFU can't forget about the clubs in these trying times: "The amateur game has long since been dwarfed by its professional cousins, but while the provinces will remain as professional entities after the coronavirus pandemic, these are altogether more ominous times for the clubs." While Malachy Clerkin's latest coronavirus diary entry comes from Dublin footballer Sinéad Goldrick who has returned from Melbourne after the cancellation of the AFLW season: "As an athlete, I wanted to stay and play. I wanted to contribute to the team and try to give back what they gave me in my time over there. But they took that decision for me."
Meanwhile global pressure and demand is now mounting on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Tokyo Olympics into 2021 after they opted to delay their decision for four weeks on Sunday. Canada has effectively opted for a boycott of any Games that may take place - Ian O'Riordan has all the latest here.
