Major sporting events still under threat as COVID-19 continues to rage worldwide
CGTN
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced almost all sporting events to be either staged behind closed doors or canceled. /VCG

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced almost all sporting events to be either staged behind closed doors or canceled. /VCG

More than half a year since COVID-19 upended the day-to-day lives of people around the world, the sporting world is still feeling the weight of the pandemic that has shown no sign of abating and infected well over 14.2 million people globally so far.

The men's T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia between October 18 and November 15, is the latest event to fall victim to the unprecedented crisis. The showpiece cricket tournament will be postponed until next year in an attempt to curb the spread of the fatal virus.

Australia has witnessed a sudden surge in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in Melbourne, Australia's second-biggest city, and neighboring Mitchell Shire. All travelers entering Australia currently need to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Australia's several cities have made it compulsory to wear a mask in public, hence this sign displayed in Melbourne, Australia, July 20, 2020. /VCG

Australia's several cities have made it compulsory to wear a mask in public, hence this sign displayed in Melbourne, Australia, July 20, 2020. /VCG

"The decision to postpone the ICC Men's T20 World Cup was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world," said International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Manu Sawhney on Monday.

"We have undertaken a comprehensive and complex contingency planning exercise and through this process, our number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport," he added.

On the same day, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) also made the decision to extend the suspension of all events as it was understood that there was a decreasing probability of international tournament being held this year.

According to a statement released on its official website, ITTF confirmed the Czech Open, originally scheduled between August 25–30 in Olomouc, has been canceled after the ITTF and Czech Table Tennis Association "deemed the event impossible to stage amidst the ongoing travel restrictions and potential risks to health and safety."

The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships has been postponed until 2021. /VCG

The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships has been postponed until 2021. /VCG

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Open and Japan Open, which had been provisionally postponed, will not be going ahead because current circumstances "made it impossible to reschedule the events in 2020."

Coronavirus concerns have severely disrupted the calendar of table tennis. Earlier this month, the ITTF announced the 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships, originally scheduled in March this year, will now take place from February 28 to March 7 in Busan, South Korea in 2021.

In other sports, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced on Monday that it has canceled the entire 2020-2021 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating season due to the coronavirus.

In a statement, the ISU said some of its members "simply cannot or do not feel comfortable to send junior teams to the remaining ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating countries."

"The ISU regrets the cancellation of this popular junior series even though it is in line with the ISU policy to put the safety and health of event participants as the number one priority," it added.

The International Skating Union were forced to postpone several major events due to the coronavirus disruptions. /VCG

The International Skating Union were forced to postpone several major events due to the coronavirus disruptions. /VCG

Elsewhere in Spain, another outbreak of confirmed coronavirus cases among second-tier players has plunged Spanish football into fresh chaos.

The clash between former La Liga champions Deportivo La Coruña and Fuenlabrada was forced to be postponed following reports that six players and a two members of Fuenlabrada's coaching staff have been diagnosed with the COVID-19.

"After applying La Liga's COVID-19 health protocols and controls and detecting positive cases at CF Fuenlabrada, the Spanish football federation and La Liga have mutually agreed to postpone the Deportivo-Fuenlabrada match for reasons of force majeure," the league said in a statement on Monday.

All other fixtures in the division went ahead as scheduled, however, with the league explaining that it was "the solution that best protects the health of the players and the overall integrity of the competition."

Deportivo would still be fighting to avoid relegation had it played on Monday, but their fate was sealed later in the day after relegation rivals Albacete and Lugo both won.

The famed Spanish powerhouse, who reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2004 and claimed the topflight title in 2000, will play in the third tier next season.