South Korea resumes baseball season, ESPN to air games with commentary

Players of baseball team SK Wyverns wearing face masks wait for the start of their regular season baseball game against the Hanwha Eagles in Incheon, South Korea, May 5, 2020. /AP

South Korea's professional sport has returned to action after the coronavirus shutdown with the opening of a new baseball season on Tuesday, while football and golf will soon follow suit in a ray of hope for suspended competitions worldwide.

Strict health checks and hygiene measures

Fans were not allowed in when any of Tuesday's five opening Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) matches saw the first pitches thrown, a marked contrast from the packed stadiums of previous years when fans sang and cheered relentlessly no matter the score.

Instead, banners with photos of masked fans stretched across the empty bleachers at the Incheon-based SK Wyverns club's Munhak Baseball Stadium.

A cameraman walks through the spectators' seating covered with pictures of fans before the start of the baseball game between Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon, South Korea, May 5, 2020. /AP

At the stadium, strict health checks and hygiene measures were enforced.

Players must have their temperature checked twice before games, with face masks to be worn in all areas except the playing field and the dugouts, according to the KBO.

Players have also been asked not to shake hands or exchange high-fives, while spitting is prohibited, putting a new complexion on what is South Korea's most popular spectator sport.

With umpires fitted with masks and cheerleaders dancing beneath vast rows of empty seats, a new baseball season gets underway in South Korea following a weeks-long delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Munhak Baseball Stadium, Incheon, South Korea, May 5, 2020. /AP

ESPN to air South Korean baseball league games

ESPN will begin airing six regular-season games per week from the KBO league.

The agreement with Eclat Media Group was announced on May 4, the day before the league is scheduled to open its season.

The defending Korea Series champion Doosan Bears will be on Wednesday against the LG Twins while the 11-time league champion KIA Tigers will take on the Lions on Friday.

The agreement includes the postseason and the Korea Series best-of-seven championship. The schedule and where ESPN airs them are subject to change pending the status of other leagues whose schedules have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESPN announcers will provide commentary in English from their home studios.

"Corona 19 Out" is seen on the helmet of LG Twins baseball team's coach Kim Ho as third base umpire Choi Young-joo (L) wearing a mask and gloves rules during the pre-season game between Doosan Bears and LG Twins in Seoul, South Korea, April 21, 2020. /AP

Football and golf

The country's football K-League, originally due to start in February, will kick off on May 8 with a blockbuster clash between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, champions of the past three seasons, against FA Cup winners Suwon Bluewings.

Broadcasters in 10 foreign territories have snapped up rights to air K-League matches.

Next week, South Korea will also become the first country to see women's professional golf resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korean players dominate women's golf, with eight featuring in the world's top 20, including number one Ko Jin-young.

The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Championship with the prize money of 1.8 million U.S. dollars will start on May 14 in Yangju, east of Seoul, with world number six Kim Sei-young and 10th-ranked Lee Jeong-eun in the 144-strong field.

South Korea has been seeing only a trickle of new coronavirus infections in recent days, with three fresh cases reported on Tuesday, taking the total to 10,804.

(With input from agencies)