The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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The first England-Australia rugby league series in 17 years has been canceled.
England’s Rugby Football League and the Australian Rugby League Commission made the joint announcement.
England was to play Australia at Bolton on Oct 31, at Leeds on Nov. 7, and for the first time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Nov. 14.
The series was canceled because of the uncertainty over global travel, and the need to extend both countries’ domestic seasons, stalled by the pandemic.
Both governing bodies are committed to planning a series in 2022, after the Rugby League World Cup in England in 2021.
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The president of Spanish soccer club Las Palmas says fans may be allowed in to watch the team’s second-division match against Girona on June 13 in the Canary Islands.
Miguel Ángel Ramírez has told the club’s official radio station the official announcement could be made next week.
Spain has been gradually easing confinement restrictions across the country and the Canary Islands has been one of the most advanced regions controlling the coronavirus outbreak.
Ramírez says Spanish health authorities will have the final say on whether fans will be allowed at the Gran Canaria Stadium.
Details were not immediately announced but about a third of the 32,000-capacity venue could be open to fans.
All first-division matches in the Spanish league are expected to be played without fans until the end of the season.
Government officials believe some fans will be allowed back by next season with restrictions.
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The International Tennis Federation and four Grand Slam tournaments are pledging more than $300,000 in financial support for wheelchair athletes and national event hosts affected financially by the coronavirus pandemic.
Wheelchair tennis players who earned under $100,000 in prize money last year and meet certain ranking requirements can apply for a grant under the program.
The wheelchair tennis tour has been suspended since March and at least until the end of July because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
More than 85 ITF-sanctioned wheelchair events have been postponed or canceled.
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Italian soccer authorities are considering the possibility of allowing fans into stadiums starting next month.
The Italian league is set to resume on June 20 with no spectators allowed. There are also strict rules limiting the number of people in the stadium to 300. That includes both teams, staff and journalists.
Italian media are reporting that the soccer federation could discuss the possibility of increasing that number and permitting a vastly reduced number of fans.
Federation president Gabriele Gravina says “it’s something I really wish for with all my heart.”
Gravina says “it’s unthinkable that in a stadium that can hold 60,000 there’s not space for a small percentage of fans with the necessary precautions.”
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The Big 12 Conference announced its schools can begin bringing athletes back to campus, with the resumption of voluntary activities starting June 15 for football players.
The conference said each school can use its own discretion in deciding when athletes return to campus. The Big 12 had suspended all team activities, voluntary or required, because of the coronavirus pandemic through May 31. As of June 1, new rules go into effect. In-person required and voluntary team activities are still banned for all athletes from June 1-14.
Football players can resume voluntary on-campus activity on June 15. Other fall sport athletes can begin voluntary on-campus activity on July 1. Basketball players can participate in on-campus voluntary activities, starting July 6, and all other sports can resume voluntary activities on campus on July 15.
Virtual or online supervised workouts and skill instruction is still not permitted. All required virtual or online activities, such as film study, are limited to eight hours per week and only on-field coaches may conduct those sessions.
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The Japanese MotoGP has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The race was scheduled for Oct. 18 at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. Organizers say they hope to return to the same venue next year.
Japan has a big presence in the sport and is the home of manufacturers Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki.
Organizers say this is first time since 1986 that Japan will not host a race.
MotoGP says it is trying to restart the season with races staying in Europe until mid-November. A race in Japan after that would be too late in the season.
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Brazilian soccer club Vasco da Gama says 16 of its players have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Rio de Janeiro club says the positive results came after tests were conducted on about 250 people.
Three players have already recovered and the others remain separated from the group.
The club says it will begin a series of medical evaluations on squad members.
Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro said Sunday one player in each squad tested positive. Atlético said Ecuadorean midfielder Juan Cazares had the virus. Cruzeiro announced that forward Vinícius Popó was infected.
There is still not date set for the return of soccer in Brazil.
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