The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
One of Europe’s leading ice hockey competitions has canceled its 2020-21 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Champions Hockey League was due to begin next month in an already-shortened format with a knockout bracket and no round-robin.
League CEO Martin Baumann says the board decided Tuesday to cancel because of international travel restrictions and the recent rise in coronavirus cases across Europe.
He says the CHL couldn’t use a centralized “bubble” format because its teams also play in their national leagues, and that using charter flights for clubs wouldn’t be affordable.
The CHL was due to include 31 teams from 12 countries this season after British club Cardiff Devils withdrew. Clubs from Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic have historically been the most successful in the format.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is confident his team is healthy and safe following its victory at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Muschamp says the Gamecocks are on schedule to play No. 15 Auburn on Saturday, but the Commodores called off their game with Missouri this week because there aren’t enough players due to the need of quarantines for COVID-19.
South Carolina was tested on Sunday, a day after its 41-7 victory over the Commodores. Muschamp said he was told by trainer Clint Haggard there were no concerns about contact tracing following the game.
No. 10 Florida has five new COVID-19 cases.
The school reported its latest testing results Tuesday, four days before the Gators host defending national champion LSU.
Coach Dan Mullen praised the way his team has handled coronavirus protocols Monday, avoiding a major outbreak with the highly transmissible virus.
“If you look at what we’ve been able to do … I think we’re a model of safety of what we’ve been doing during this time period,” Mullen said. “I’m really proud of how we’ve handled everything and how safe we’ve been with everything we’re doing and all the precautions we’ve had in place during this time.”
The team had 21 positive cases once players returned to campus in late May, but it has dealt with 16 positive cases since.
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has postponed its annual awards dinner because of the uncertainty created by the novel coronavirus and the challenging economic environment caused by the pandemic.
The dinner was originally scheduled to take place in New York City on Dec. 8.
NFF Chairman Archie Manning says it’s impossible to complete the “enormous amount of planning” required to hold the event, which normally marks the end of college football’s regular season.
Plans for honoring the 19-member Hall of Fame class will be announced at a later date.
Senegal’s friendly soccer match against Mauritania has been canceled after eight members of the Mauritanian delegation tested positive for COVID-19.
The Senegalese soccer federation says the tests were conducted under FIFA and African Football Confederation protocols.
It says the results showed eight positive tests among the Mauritanian delegation. It did not specify who tested positive or if they were players or staff.
Barcelona basketball player Nikola Mirotic says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is out of the team’s Euroleague game at Valencia Basket.
Mirotic says he is “well and following doctors’ instructions.”
Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and assistant coach Darius Maskoliunas tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.
The Euroleague canceled last season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
South African golfer Jbe Kruger has been withdrawn from the field in this week’s Scottish Championship on the European Tour after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The tour says Kruger returned the positive test after a check on Monday as part of the pre-tournament screening process. He has not exhibited any symptoms.
Kruger must isolate for a minimum 10 days in accordance with local guidelines in Scotland. The only contact to be identified was Kruger’s wife. She is also his caddie.
The Scottish Championship begins Thursday at the Fairmont St. Andrews resort.
Slovakia coach Pavel Hapal has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss the Nations League game against Israel on Wednesday.
The Slovakian Football Association says Hapal’s assistant, Oto Brunegraf, will be in charge for the match in Trnava.
It says five staff members, including the spokesperson for the national team, have also tested positive and all have left the team’s hotel to self-isolate.
Two players, Milan Skriniar and Jaroslav Mihalik, and a staff member tested positive before Sunday’s Nations League against Scotland that Slovakia lost in Glasgow 1-0.
One entire team and another overall contender have withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia following a series of positive tests for the coronavirus.
The Mitchelton-Scott team withdrew before Stage 10 after four of its staff members tested positive. That came after Mitchelton-Scott team leader Simon Yates withdrew before Saturday’s eighth stage after also contracting COVID-19.
All riders and team staff members were tested over the last 48 hours coinciding with Monday’s rest day with a total of 571 tests performed.
Team Jumbo-Visma announced that Steven Kruijswijk came back positive and was withdrawn. He stood 11th overall. Kruijswijk was 1 minute, 24 seconds behind race leader João Almeida.
An unnamed Team Sunweb rider also tested positive.
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Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.