THE Tokyo Olympics could take place next SPRING – which is generating even more confusion for athletes.
The Games were postponed untill 2021 this week after the Japanese organisers bizarrely planned to plough on.
Meanwhile Tyson Fury's trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder has been pushed back to October 3, Wimbledon's fate is expected to be revealed next week and the Premier League and EFL are set to meet with the PFA.
Follow all the latest news and updates as the sporting world deals with the threat of coronavirus…
PREM MEETING TODAY
The Premier League and EFL are set to meet with the PFL today (Friday 27 March) to discuss the financial impact of coronavirus forcing action to be suspended.
Championship leaders Leeds have confirmed that their players, management and senior staff are volunteering to defer their wages for the foreseeable future to ensure all non-football staff get paid.
It has been reported that cost-cutting measures due to lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is even being considered at Premier League level.
On Wednesday, the PFA called for an urgent meeting with the Premier League and the EFL to discuss a way through the crisis.
NO-GO-TIATIONS
Chelsea have temporarily ceased all contract talks as they wait to see if the coronavirus pandemic will force the season to finish after June 30.
Willian, Pedro, Olivier Giroud and Willy Caballero's current deals are all set to expire in the summer.
But if the season is to go on beyond the end of June, Premier League clubs would be allowed to hand out-of-contract stars temporary – potentially even week-by-week – deals.
The Telegraph report that Chelsea are monitoring the situation closely, and will not resume negotiations until there is more certainty over when they will next play.
TOK-YO NO
Athlete Derlys Ayala has taken to social media to ask his followers how to fix his tattoo after he got “Tokyo 2020” inked on his right calf.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Olympic Games have been pushed back a year to 2021, leaving Ayala red-faced by his artwork.
The 30-year-old qualified for Tokyo after finishing fifth overall in the Buenos Aires Marathon in September 2019.
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Alguien que me ayude a poner 2021 🏃🏿♂️🏃🏿♂️🏃🏿♂️🏃🏿♂️🏃🏿♂️🏃🏿♂️
A post shared byDerlys Ayala OLY (@derlysrun) on
ART ATTACK
Mikel Arteta admits he has struggled to cope with more than two weeks away from the training ground and only limited contact with the Arsenal players via the club’s WhatsApp group.
But his enforced isolation has allowed him to catch up on quality time with his family and he admits: “I have three kids with a lot of energy and for 17 years I haven’t had the chance to wake up with my family and spend a lot of dedicated time with them.
“We are in a world where everything is social media, but this is a unique opportunity to realise how much we all need each other.
“How important is touching and hugging each other? I miss that with a lot of people I love and we can’t do that at the moment so we have to be emotionally more open.
“We have to tell each other what we are feeling and emotionally I feel very fulfilled because now I am giving my kids everything, which is not something I’m not always able to do.
“We are living with a virus that is putting the world aside and transforming everything that we prioritise in life.
“So we have to learn these important lessons and not forget about them in two or three months’ time.”
ART OF WAR
Mikel Arteta has urged the nation to help the NHS by staying at home to avoid the coronavirus which laid him low.
The Arsenal boss insists: “We are living in a unique situation and owe a massive gratitude to everyone involved in healthcare, hospitals, people in services and people, trying to provide food and transportation.
“I know the situation in Spain and we are a little bit behind them in the UK so I encourage everybody to be sensible and stay at home.
“We have to help the NHS as much as possible and give the opportunity for elderly people to get the treatment they require more than anyone else.
“I had a difficult three or four days with a bit of temperature, a dry cough and some discomfort in my chest.
“Now I am feeling completely recovered but my main concern was the people that I’d been in contact with. That’s when a bit of fear comes in.”
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