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RUGBYL-AUS-VIRUS-HEALTH
Australian rugby league to press on with new season
SYDNEY, March 15, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Australia’s new rugby league season will
continue for the time being but with games behind closed doors, officials
said Sunday, despite the growing coronavirus pandemic.
There would be massive financial implications if one of the country’s most
popular sports was forced to shut down a season that only began this weekend.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys called it “one
of the toughest challenges for us to stay viable in the history of the game”.
“It could have catastrophic effects on us moving forward. Our money will
only last so long, and once it’s extinguished we are in big trouble,” he said
Sunday.
“An Australia without rugby league is not Australia,” added V’landys.
“Rugby league has been a fabric of our society for hundreds of years. It’s
people’s escape, their relaxation and we need to do everything to continue
that great tradition.”
Fans were allowed into games this weekend and round two will go ahead in a
week’s time, but without spectators, after the government moved to halt
events with more than 500 people from Monday to counter the spread of the
virus.
“All decisions we make will have the safety and health of our players as
paramount,” said V’landys, with the situation to be reviewed next week.
“We are going to review all options including isolating players or
suspending the season. We’ve commissioned a pandemic expert and we are going
to act on their advice.”
The Australia-based NRL features one team from New Zealand, the Auckland
Warriors.
They have opted to remain in Australia despite the New Zealand government
announcing all arrivals in the country from midnight Sunday, will have to
self-isolate for 14 days.
Rugby league’s decision to press on follows rival code, Super Rugby, on
Saturday announcing the suspension of their season.
The sprawling southern hemisphere rugby union competition has much greater
travel complications with teams, including five from New Zealand, spread
across South Africa, Australia, Argentina and Japan.
New Zealand abandoned their one-day international cricket series in
Australia on Saturday so they could make it home before the deadline.
Australian Rules Football, the country’s most popular spectator sport,
plans to play season-opening games next week in empty stadiums, while
Football Federation Australia has said it will review the situation on Monday
after top-flight A-League games went ahead this weekend.
This weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne was called
off Friday after a McLaren Formula One team member tested positive for the
virus.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0847 hrs