LOS ANGELES • Adam Silver, the National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner, said on Wednesday the league is considering several options depending on how long the coronavirus pandemic shutdown lasts.
In a nationally televised interview on ESPN, the 57-year-old commented on how the NBA could best handle its eventual schedule once games are deemed safe enough to play.
Among the considerations include the safety benchmarks for restarting the league with fans as normal, how to play games "and operate as we've known it with 19,000 fans" in venues without concern of spreading the virus.
Silver admitted perhaps it would be better for games to begin first without fans, so as not to overreach and possibly endanger supporters, players and league personnel before being completely certain the coronavirus would not be spread.
"Because, presumably, if we had a group of players, and staff around them, and you could test them and follow some sort of protocol, doctors and health officials may say it's safe to play," he said.
He admitted all ideas are on the table these days since the league suspended its regular season "for at least 30 days" last Wednesday, even pushing the annual league calendar to between December and August instead of from October to June.
In tennis, the ATP and WTA have extended the suspension of tournaments until June 7, the men and women's tours said in a joint statement.
The clay-court season "will not be held as scheduled" owing to the suspension, they added.
The ATP and WTA rankings will be frozen for now.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also postponed its World Tennis Tour until June 8, the organisation said on Wednesday, a day after the French Open announced a shock switch to Sept 20-Oct 4 from May 24-June 7.
In Formula One, teams must close for three weeks by the end of next month in a move that will allow races to be rescheduled during the European summer.
What would have been a record 22-round calendar is already suspended, with last weekend's Australian season opener in Melbourne cancelled and no racing is expected until at least the end of May.
The governing International Automobile Federation said in a statement on Wednesday that its world Motor Sport Council approved the change to the regulations to allow for the cancellation of a scheduled August break this season.
The 10 teams must instead shut their factories for three successive weeks between now and the end of next month.
Also in motor racing, the Le Mans 24 hours race has been postponed from June 13-14 to Sept 19-20, organisers said on Wednesday.
REUTERS
