PM gives thumbs-up to sporting events but coronavirus bans remain a possibility

Prime minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said there were “very little epidemiological or medical reasons” to cancel sporting events and mass gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic that has resulted in ten deaths in Britain.

The government entered the ‘delay’ stage of its coronavirus action plan but ruled out measures such as closing schools or requesting people to work from home despite what he labelled as the “worst public health crisis in a generation”.

Johnson said: “We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures. The scientific advice, as we've said over the last couple of weeks, is that banning such events will have little effect on the spread.

“On the issue of mass gatherings and sporting events, we're guided by the science. There is very little epidemiological or medical reasons at the moment to ban such events.

"We're not saying 'no' to that sort of measure; we're keeping it up our sleeve. In order to maximise the benefits of our interventions, it's important we get the timing right.”

Crowds at the Cheltenham Festival fell for the third day in a row on Thursday with 65,218 people in attendance, down from 67,821 last year, but the full potential impact of the virus on racing remains uncertain, with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying she will advise mass gatherings of over 500 people should be cancelled from the start of next week.

Prime minister Boris Johnson: 'banning such events will have little effect on the spread'Credit: Paul Gilham

The BHA has been operating on a ‘business as usual’ basis while liaising with government about the illness, and a spokesperson said: “The British Horseracing Authority – on behalf of the racing industry’s Covid-19 group – has been in regular contact with government over the response to the virus.

“British racing has been preparing for a range of contingencies, including possible restrictions on mass gatherings. When we have further details of the impact of the guidance from the Scottish government, we will share them.”

Racing in Ireland will take place behind closed doors from Friday until March 29, while other sporting events across the globe have been affected by the spread of the virus, for which 596 people have tested positive in Britain and as many as 10,000 could be infected, according to Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser.

Racing in Ireland to go ahead behind closed doors until March 29

Racing fixtures in France have also taken place without crowds, while action at Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields and Keeneland in the US will now be run without spectators too.

Aidan Butler, acting executive director, California operations, for racecourse owners The Stronach Group, said: “Much like other sports which have chosen to play without spectators, we will race with the personnel necessary to ensure the safety of the horses and the integrity of the sport.

"It is in everyone’s best interest to take these steps and we appreciate everyone’s understanding of this unique situation.”

World Cup update

Officials have also confirmed the $12 million Dubai World Cup will have no paying spectators either.

A statement from the Dubai Racing Club said: “Due to the ongoing global health implications of Covid-19 and precautionary measures being implemented by the UAE government, Dubai Racing Club will host the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 28 without paid hospitality spectators at Meydan. All supporting Dubai World Cup events have been cancelled.”

This weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix has been postponed, the ATP Tour tennis has scrapped all tournaments for six weeks, while Uefa has called an emergency meeting for Tuesday to discuss all domestic and European football competitions, with the possibility of postponing Euro 2020 by one year to be considered.

Grand Natiional: the Aintree spectacular is 1-3 not to go aheadCredit: Grossick Photography

A report in The Times on Thursday suggested professional football in England would have to take place behind closed doors.

The Randox Health Grand National meeting at Aintree starts on April 2, with the showpiece race taking place on April 4, but punters remain uncertain about the fixture going ahead despite the government’s statement on Thursday.

On Betfair’s ‘will racing go ahead’ market for Aintree, ‘no’ is 1-3 compared with 5-2 for ‘yes’ with more than £40,000 traded. Over £4 million was traded on a similar market for Cheltenham.

Global financial markets also tumbled as a result of the coronavirus with bookmaker shares badly impacted, some firms losing more than a fifth of their value on Thursday.

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