BERLIN – The current Kovid-19 wave is affecting professional sports, especially in Great Britain, where player pollution is seriously affecting the Premier League, while travel restrictions are shaking the European Rugby Cup.

With 2020 all the competition around the world stalled for months, there is nothing to do now. But the rise of the virus and the actions taken by the authorities have seriously hampered some disciplines.

. The Premier League turned upside down

Nine Premier League matches have already been postponed, including six this weekend due to player pollution, and the list of affected clubs is growing by the day.

“The club does not have enough talented first-team players,” Leicester management assured Thursday, with two meetings postponed to Thursday and Sunday. Manchester United-Brighton, Southampton-Brentford and West Ham-Norwich have also been postponed to Saturday.

The very busy schedule makes the situation in England particularly vulnerable: matches are scheduled every day except the traditional “Boxing Day” on December 26, until January 3, every day.

. Cluster or real

Six Real Madrid players were Kovid-19 positive over two days on Wednesday and Thursday: Marcelo, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio, Rodrigo and Andre Lunin. Three days before Cadiz’s reception on Sunday (9pm) for the 18th day of La Liga, the club have taken strict measures to prevent this new focus of infection.

The Spanish federation has canceled “all protocol salutes or tribute ceremonies” prior to matches from this weekend, “an additional step in the wake of an increase in cases”.

. European rugby break

Three matches were canceled and seven matches were postponed. The two European Rugby Cups, which take place from Friday to Sunday, took the lead on the wing: the organizers announced the postponement of the Franco-British meetings over the weekend, “the consequences of the new restrictions on travel now. The United Kingdom and France established by the French government”.

In the wake of the “very fast delivery of the Omicron variant”, Paris on Saturday reinstated the obligation of “compulsory causes” for travelers from the United Kingdom to the United Kingdom.

As a result, La Rochelle, Clermont and UBB postponed matches in Bath, Sail and Lanelli, respectively. Like the reception of Stade Franസois and Toulouse, respectively, for the English and the Vassips from Bristol. In the challenge, Worcester-Biarritz and London Irish-Bry are concerned.

So there will only be three top 14 teams on the European ground: Leon of Wales against the Dragons, Toulon against the Italians Zebra in the Challenge on Friday, and Castres (Munster) of Ireland in the European Cup on Saturday.

Postponed matches will be played at a later date, the EPCR clarifies, making it difficult to find space on the overloaded schedule.

. French basketball is no exception

Nanter, a resident of the French basketball championship, announced on Friday that he had postponed his next three elite matches scheduled for December 19, 23 and 26.

Five players and an assistant coach on the team led by Pascal Donadiu tested positive.

The previous season of the Elite was already interrupted by a pandemic, which forced the organizers to reduce the number of matches in the playoffs.

. Skiing affected

His team announced Friday that Kovid-19 tested positive for Swiss Lara Gutt-Behrami and two members of management who were scheduled to compete in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Val de Iser (Savoy) this weekend. .

“Lara Gutt-Behrami is housed in isolation, so the matches at Val di Iser and next week’s Corchevel will be lost,” the same source said.

. CAN threatened

European clubs have threatened not to release their international players for the Africa Nations Cup in Cameroon in January-February due to unsatisfactory health protocol.

Because of the “quarantines and travel restrictions”, the ECA (Association of European Clubs) specifically points to the risk of missing more internationals than the stipulated period.

. Behind closed doors

Attendance at the sport is very limited in Germany, where the Kovid wave currently kills 400 to 500 people per day. Some lander (local states) even announced full closed doors, including Bavaria. The move affects Bayern Munich without spectators, and affects all winter sports World Cups, including the two German stages of the Four Hills Tournament, a major event of the ski jumping season.

. Affected the NBA and NHL

In North America, the NBA is deeply disturbed by the lack of players, whether they are sick or in the quarantine. Over the next few days, the Chicago Bulls postponed their two games as they could not field at least eight players, and on Tuesday six players, including Brooklyn Nets star James Harden, were sidelined and isolated due to sanitary measures.

In the NHL (Ice Hockey), for the first time since last year’s playoffs, the Montreal Canadians played behind closed doors on Thursday, and talk of a 50% return on gauges at Quebec government stands.