Magazine date:
Apr 2020 
Faced with this unprecedented global health crisis, the organisers of major sporting events were left with no other choice but to postpone or cancel the games, competitions, tournaments, etc.
Atlas Magazine [4] takes a look at the main sporting events impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
List of events postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
| Events | Nature | Location | Initial date | Due date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Six Nations Tournament | Rugby | Europe | 1 February - 14 March 2020 | Late October 2020 | Games suspended after the spread of the virus in Italy |
The first four MotoGP Grand Prix of the season | Motorcycle racing | Qatar, Thailand, America and Argentina | Early March 2020 | Qatar Grand Prix is cancelled, other tournaments are postponed for two months. | |
World Indoor Track and Field Championships | Athletics | Nanjing, China | 13 - 15 March 2020 | 19 - 21 March 2021 | |
Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix | Motorsport | Australia, Bahrein, Vietnam, China, Netherlands, Spain | From 15 March 2020 | The Australian Grand Prix has been cancelled. For the other countries, the competitions have been postponed. | A ticket refund is foreseen |
World Championships | Figure Skating | Canada | 16 - 22 March 2020 | Cancelled | Cancelled for the second time after the 1961 edition |
Tour of Catalonia | Cycling | Spain | 23 - 29 March 2020 | Unspecified | |
NBA | Basketball | USA | March 2020 | Planned for June 2020 | Gameses suspended since 12 March 2020 after the detection of a positive case of COVID-19 |
Football Championships (League 1, England, Spain, Italy etc) | Football | Europe | March 2020 | A resumption of matches around mid-June is under consideration. | A deferral cost of more than 4.38 billion USD for all Big-Five clubs (England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France) |
CHAN-2020 | Football | Cameroon | 4 - 25 April 2020 | Unspecified | |
Paris Marathon | Marathon | France | 5 April 2020 | 18 October 2020 | No cancellation insurance |
Golf Masters | Golf | Augusta, USA | 9 - 12 April 2020 | 12 - 15 November 2020 | First Grand Slam stop |
Paris-Roubaix | Cycling | France | 12 April 2020 | 1 June 2020 | This event has never been postponed or cancelled, except during the two World Wars |
Olympic Qualification Tournaments (OQT) | Handball | World | 17 - 19 April 2020 | Unspecified | Possibility of cancellation |
Le Mans 24 Hours 2020 | Motor racing | France | 18 - 19 April 2020 | 2 9- 30 August 2020 | |
World Billiards Championship | Billards | England | 18 April - 4 May 2020 | July - August 2020 | No cancellation insurance |
Boston Marathon | Marathon | Boston, USA | 20 April 2020 | September 14, 2020 | Runners registered for the race can be reimbursed. The registration fee is of 205 USD for Americans and 255 USD for international athletes |
London Marathon | Marathon | England | 26 April 2020 | October 4, 2020 | No cancellation insurance |
Ice Hockey World Cup | Hockey | Switzerland | 8 - 24 May 2020 | Cancelled | The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the Board of Directors have a pandemic coverage |
Tour of Italy The Giro | Cycling | Italy | 9 - 31 May 2020 | October 2020 | |
European Championships | Swimming | Budapest | 11 - 24 May 2020 | 17 - 30 August 2020 | No pandemic cancellation insurance |
Monaco Grand Prix | Motorsport | Monaco | 21- 24 May 2020 | Cancelled | |
French Open Tournament | Tennis | France | 24 May - 27 June 2020 | 20 September - 4 October 2020 | No cancellation insurance |
UEFA Euro-2020Championnat d'Europe de Football | Football | 12 cities in 12 European countries | 12 June – 12 July 2020 | 11 June - 11 July 2021 | The costs to be paid by the European body are estimated at more than 300 million USD |
CopaAmerica | Football | Argentina and Colombia | 12 June -12 July 2020 | June 11 - 11 July 2021 | |
The Mediterranean Games Oran 2021 | Multi-sport competition | Algeria | 25 June - 5 July 2020 | June 25 to 5 July 2021 | |
Tour de France | Cycling | France | 27 June - 29 July 2020 | 29 August - 20 September | The postponement of the event reassures cycling teams whose business model is based on sponsorship and visibility |
Wimbledon Tournament | Tennis | United Kingdom | 29 June - 12 July 2020 | Cancelled | The tournament benefits from a pandemic cancellation insurance. The amount of coverage is of 114 million GBP (143.4 million USD) |
British Open | Golf | England | 16 - 19 July 2020 | 11 - 18 July 2021 | The tournament has a pandemic insurance |
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games | Multi-sport competition | Japan | 24 July - 9 August 2020 | 23 July - 8 August 2021 | Cancellation insurance underwrote for 24 million USD |
The World Athletics Championships | Athletics | Eugene, USA | 6 - 15 August 2021 | 15 - 24 July 2022 | Postponed by one year to make way for the Tokyo Olympic Games |
Read also | Coronavirus: Toll and consequences [5]