No professional sport, even behind closed doors, will be staged in England until 1 June at the earliest, the UK government has announced.
The government has published a 50-page guidance document detailing how England will begin to ease lockdown measures.
Step two of that plan – which will not be allowed to start before 1 June – includes “permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact”.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said being able to hold sporting events behind closed doors could “provide a much-needed boost to national morale”.
The document states that reopening venues that attract large crowds, such as sports grounds, “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections”.
Premier League clubs are meeting on Monday to continue discussions on Project Restart.
The top flight has been suspended since 13 March because of the coronavirus pandemic but is aiming to resume in June, with 92 of its 380 fixtures left to play.
There will be no cricket played in England and Wales until at least 1 July, following a decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
On Monday British horse racing’s executive committee said it was committed to planning for a resumption of racing on 1 June.
Premiership Rugby is aiming for a resumption in early July, with nine rounds of matches remaining.
Formula 1 is hoping to race at Silverstone on 19 and 26 July.
Under proposed rules for boxing to resume behind closed doors in July, fighters at British shows will wear protective masks during ring walks and could be banned from using a spit bucket between rounds.
The government’s current aim is to introduce step two of its plan on 1 June but only if sufficient progress is made in “successfully controlling the spread of the virus” and the lifting of restrictions could be delayed.
Sporting events involving international travel could be affected by the government’s planned requirement for all international arrivals “not on a short list of exemptions” to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in the UK.
Four English teams remain in European football competitions this year – Chelsea and Manchester City in the Champions League and Manchester United and Wolves in the Europa League.
