Foreign-based S. Korean athletes affected by coronavirus

Outbreaks of the novel coronavirus have brought major international sports competitions to an abrupt halt this week, and South Korean athletes plying their trades overseas have been affected as well. Major League Baseball has canceled the remainder of spring training games, and the start of the new regular season will be delayed by at least two weeks. The Opening Day was originally set for March 26. Four South Korean big leaguers were in camp this year, a contingent led by Ryu Hyun-jin of the

More SportsMarch 13, 2020

Japan says no plans for Olympics without spectators

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japanese government officials insisted Friday they have no plans to alter the Olympics, including holding it without spectators, after US President Donald Trump proposed a delay over the coronavirus. The fate of the 2020 Games, scheduled to open in Tokyo on July 24, has been thrown into doubt by the outbreak of the virus, now dubbed a pandemic. But organisers, Japanese government officials and the International Olympic Committee have insisted preparation for the Games is on tra

Olympic GamesMarch 13, 2020

Tokyo governor says cancelling Olympics 'unthinkable'

TOKYO (AFP) -- Cancelling the 2020 Olympics is "unthinkable" although the classification of the coronavirus as a pandemic will likely have some impact on the Games, the Tokyo city governor said on Thursday. "It can't be said that the announcement of a pandemic would have no impact... But I think cancellation is unthinkable," Yuriko Koike told reporters. Doubts are increasingly being raised over whether the Olympics can be held as scheduled from July 24 to August 9. Organ

Olympic GamesMarch 12, 2020

Postponed football season unlikely to begin in March

In normal circumstances, the men's professional football season in South Korea should be under way by now. But with the novel coronavirus wreaking havoc throughout the country, these are far from normal times. And the 2020 K League season, which was supposed to have started Feb. 29 but has been postponed indefinitely, may not even kick off in March. A league official said Wednesday it has become "unlikely" that the season will start this month. The K League is preparing for further

SoccerMarch 11, 2020

Pro baseball league postpones start of regular season over coronavirus

The South Korean professional baseball league decided to push back the start of the regular season indefinitely on Tuesday, amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus. Following a meeting with club presidents, the Korea Baseball Organization said the 2020 season will begin sometime in April, instead of March 28 as originally scheduled. It marks the first delay of the KBO regular season since the league's inception in 1982. The league said it had consulted with health experts befo

BaseballMarch 10, 2020

S. Korea's Olympic football qualifying matches rescheduled for April

Postponed Olympic women's football qualifying matches between South Korea and China have been rescheduled for June in light of the coronavirus outbreaks in both countries. The Korea Football Association said Monday it was informed by the Asian Football Confederation that the home-and-home playoff series between the nations will be played on June 4 and 9. Venues will be determined later. The winning team, based on the aggregate score after the two matches, will qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympi

SoccerMarch 9, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae rises to No. 1 in FedEx Cup points after finishing 3rd at Bay Hill

What sophomore slump? Im Sung-jae, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, climbed to the top of the FedEx Cup points standings following a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday (local time). The 21-year-old South Korean picked up his first PGA Tour victory the previous week at the Honda Classic. He was trying to become the first player since David Duval in 1997 to win his first two career titles in consecutive weeks, but finished two strokes be

GolfMarch 9, 2020

Under virus uncertainty, foreign players for S. Korean baseball clubs to train in home countries

With a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the start of the professional baseball season in virus-hit South Korea, teams' foreign players will train in their home countries for the time being. The Korea Baseball Organization clubs have been scrambling to close their overseas training camps in the past week or so, with more and more countries applying travel restrictions on South Koreans following the COVID-19 outbreak. The Samsung Lions and the LG Twins have returned from Japan. The KT Wiz and

BaseballMarch 9, 2020

Tokyo Olympics hold test event without fans, top athletes

TOKYO (AP) -- Despite the spreading virus, Tokyo Olympic organizers have finally held a test event. The recent outbreak of the coronavirus has forced them to cancel or postpone several. But they allowed a sport climbing event on Friday to go ahead, with a few restrictions: no fans and no top athletes. Instead they used amateurs to test the climbing facility. Almost all sports events and large gatherings have been shut down in Japan. Preseason baseball is being played without fans, the socce

Olympic GamesMarch 6, 2020

Premier League drop pre-match handshake over coronavirus concern

LONDON (AFP) -- Premier League players and officials will not take part in the traditional pre-match handshake from this weekend over fears about the spread of the coronavirus. Teams have been told by Premier League chiefs that they will still line up as usual before kick-of, but the home team will walk past the away side without shaking hands. The measure is in respond to the threat of the potentially deadly virus, with more than 90,000 cases reported in 87 countries. "The Premier Leag

SoccerMarch 6, 2020

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin strikes out 7 in simulated game

Toronto Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin has completed his second start of spring training -- just not in an actual game. Instead of starting a proper Grapefruit League game, the South Korean left-hander pitched a simulated game against Blue Jays minor league hitters at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Wednesday (local time). His big league teammates were in Port Charlotte, about a two-hour drive south from Dunedin, to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Ryu threw 32 of his 50 pitches for strikes over 3 2/3

BaseballMarch 5, 2020

Asian football body on verge of postponing World Cup qualifiers due to coronavirus

The Asian football governing body has inched closer to postponing World Cup qualifying matches following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Tuesday it has had preliminary discussions with some East Zone member associations regarding fixtures for the 2022 FIFA World Cup regional qualifiers. The East Zone nations include South Korea, China, Japan and Australia. The AFC added that it will meet with West Zone nations -- those in Central Asia and th

SoccerMarch 3, 2020

Pro volleyball leagues suspended due to coronavirus

The South Korean national volleyball federation decided to suspend men's and women's professional leagues on Monday, joining other sports organizations in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.    The Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO) said both the men's and women's V-League regular seasons will be put on hold, starting with matches scheduled for Tuesday. Earlier Monday, representatives from the 13 V-League teams had asked the KOVO to halt action on the court. V-League te

SportsMarch 2, 2020

Suspended men's basketball season to resume after 4 weeks

The South Korean men's professional basketball league announced Monday that its regular season, halted since the weekend due to the new coronavirus, will resume at the end of this month. Following its emergency board meeting, the Korean Basketball League (KBL) said its 10 teams will be back in action starting March 29. To help curb the spread of the virus, the KBL first started playing regular season games behind closed doors last Wednesday. But on Saturday, it decided to put the season on h

More SportsMarch 2, 2020

Short track worlds pushed to year's end due to coronavirus

The short track speed skating world championships scheduled to take place in Seoul will be pushed toward the end of the year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the sport's world governing body said Monday. The International Skating Union (ISU) had already postponed the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, originally set for March 13-15 in the South Korean capital, indefinitely last week. Citing concerns about the developments surrounding COVID-19, the ISU said Monday that rescheduling

More SportsMarch 2, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae captures 1st PGA Tour title

South Korea's Im Sung-jae can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner. Im won the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Sunday (local time), with a four-round total of six-under 274. He shot a four-under 66 in the final round to hold off Canadian Mackenzie Hughes by one stroke. Im, the 2018-2019 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, is the seventh South Korean to find the winner's circle on the tour. Im picked up $1.26 million for his win; he'd made just under $2 million in 12 tournaments t

GolfMarch 2, 2020

Serbian basketball player leaves S. Korean league over coronavirus fears

A Serbian basketball player has decided to leave the South Korean league over fears of the fast-spreading novel coronavirus in the country, becoming the second foreign athlete in as many days to make the jump. The Goyang Orion of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) said Thursday that their center Boris Savovic told them he'd like to leave South Korea to be with his pregnant wife. He joins KT Sonicboom player Allen Durham in what could turn out to be an exodus of foreign athletes from South Kor

More SportsFeb. 27, 2020

City refuses to host Olympic football qualifier following coronavirus outbreak

A South Korean city told the national football federation on Wednesday that it won't host an upcoming Olympic football qualifying match following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus there. Yongin, located about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, was scheduled to stage an Olympic women's football qualifying match between South Korea and China on March 6. It is the first leg of the home-and-home playoff round between the two, with the winner securing a spot at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Due t

SportsFeb. 26, 2020

US basketball player quits Korean league over coronavirus

A US basketball player decided to quit playing in the professional league here due to fast-spreading novel coronavirus, his club said Wednesday, sparking concerns of a possible exodus of foreign athletes in the country. Busan KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League said that Allen Durham will not play the remainder of the season and will return home to the United States on Thursday. The Sonicboom said Durham, who joined the team last month, decided to leave South Korea after the countr

More SportsFeb. 26, 2020

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun to make 1st spring start vs. Marlins

St. Louis Cardinals' new South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun will make his first spring training start this week. Currently training in Jupiter, Florida, the Cardinals announced Monday (local time) that the left-hander will start against the Miami Marlins in Wednesday's home game at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. It'll be a split squad game for the Cardinals, whose other half will play the Houston Astros in West Palm Beach, south of Jupiter, also on Wednesday. Left-hander Genesis Cabrera will

BaseballFeb. 25, 2020