The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said Tuesday during a Zoom call with reporters that he tested positive for the coronavirus last month.
Stricklin says he was initially mad at himself after the diagnosis because “I thought I was being careful.” He said he had about 48 hours where he felt really crummy and probably another three or four days where he didn’t feel like doing much before going back to normal.
Stricklin said he quarantined for 10 days after the test results and emphasized the importance of "wearing the masks and physical distancing.”
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Jockeys riding at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York won’t be allowed to return to the track if they compete elsewhere during the upcoming summer meet.
The new rule announced Tuesday is aimed at limiting the potential spread of the novel coronavirus. The Saratoga meet opens Thursday and runs through Labor Day.
In the last week, at least six jockeys have tested positive for the coronavirus, including five who rode at Los Alamitos in Southern California earlier this month. Many of those riders then competed at other tracks around the country before learning that they had been exposed to the virus.
The New York Racing Association says riders will need to test negative from a swab taken within five days of riding their first mount at Saratoga in order to be allowed on the grounds.
Terry Meyocks, chief executive of The Jockeys’ Guild, says the union is in full support of the new rule.
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The Southeastern Conference is postponing the start of volleyball, soccer and cross country competition through at least the end of August because of COVID-19.
The league says that provides more time to prepare for a safe return to competition on an adjusted timeline. The decision includes all exhibition and non-conference games.
Each school will be responsible for any rescheduling of non-conference contests impacted by the postponement.
The league hasn’t made any announcement on the football season. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have opted to only play conference games.
The SEC’s 14 athletic directors convened Monday at league headquarters in Alabama to discuss fall sports.
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The New England Patriots have joined a growing list of NFL teams who hope to play home games this season in front of a significantly reduced number of fans to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The team announced Tuesday that it plans to play in front of about 20% of Gillette Stadium’s capacity, if approved by state and local officials. The stadium’s capacity is just under 66,000.
The Patriots also informed season ticket holders that if fans are allowed at the stadium, they will be asked to adhere to physical distancing of at least six feet. Tickets will be arranged in blocks of 10 seats or fewer, with the first eight rows of the stadium not in use. Face coverings will also be required at all times, parking for home games will be free at all Gillette Stadium lots, and all tickets will be mobile.
Patriots season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase individual game tickets. Any remaining ticket inventory will go on sale to the general public.
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The U.S. Tennis Association has canceled several amateur events scheduled in August because of the coronavirus pandemic but is still planning to hold the U.S. Open starting Aug. 31.
USTA National Championships in certain junior age groups for singles and doubles are being scrapped.
That includes boys’ 18s in Orlando and girls’ 18s in San Diego in singles; boys’ 16s in Rome, Georgia, and girls’ 16s in Mobile, Alabama, in singles; and boys’ and girls’ 12s through 18s doubles in Orlando.
Men’s and women’s USTA National Grass Court Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, are also among the tournaments eliminated.
The USTA says “there was an inherent risk associated with hosting large numbers of individuals at one site, at one time, and would make risk mitigation difficult.”
The group says the sort of COVID-19 testing and universal housing planned for the U.S. Open “would logistically and financially be incredibly difficult to create” at these national events.
All sanctioned tennis has been suspended since March because of the pandemic. Competition is scheduled to resume in August.
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The Swiss Indoors tennis tournament has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Organizers say it would be “irresponsible and logistically difficult to go ahead” amid uncertainty about public health and the economy.
Tournament head Roger Brennwald says “social distancing or matches played behind closed doors were out of the question for us from the start.”
Roger Federer is a 10-time champion at the tournament in his hometown of Basel but he was set to miss the 50th edition of the event. He is skipping the rest of the 2020 season to let his right knee recover from two surgeries.
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