The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
The Vegas Golden Knights’ game against the St. Louis Blues scheduled for tonight has been postponed.
The NHL says a Vegas player and another coach have entered COVID-19 protocol. That could mean a positive test, potential exposure or something else.
Vegas played St. Louis on Tuesday night without its entire coaching staff. General manager Kelly McCrimmon ran the bench with the minor league coaching staff.
The NHL says the Golden Knights’ training facilities are closed until further notice. A decision on their upcoming games will be made in the next 24-48 hours.
Vegas is next scheduled to face the San Jose Sharks next Tuesday and Thursday in Glendale, Arizona.
The Golden Knights are the third team to have virus problems force a postponement, following Dallas and Carolina. It’s the first postponement outside the league’s realigned Central Division.
The soccer federation of Cyprus says it’s doling out emergency funding to struggling second- and third-division teams to help them cope with additional pandemic-related costs.
The Cyprus Football Association said in a statement Thursday that each of the 18 second-division teams will receive 12,000 euros ($14,550) to partly cover costs, including players’ coronavirus testing and stadium maintenance. The 16 third-division teams will each receive 10,000 euros ($12,100).
The two divisions have been idle after the government earlier this month ordered a halt to all lower-division games as part of a three-week, nationwide lockdown to curb an increase in coronavirus infections. Only first-division teams have been permitted to play through the lockdown, which allowed them to collect on TV rights contracts. They also have been granted an undisclosed sum from the CFA.
Some lower-division clubs are in serious financial trouble, especially in the second division because of their numerous contracts with professional players.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich has gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, going public with that announcement Thursday to encourage others to receive the shot when they have the opportunity.
Popovich released the news on his 72nd birthday. He made the announcement through the NBA in the form of a video just as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league’s all-time scoring leader, did last week. Both are well within the age guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surrounding vaccine eligibility.
“Sciencewise, it’s a no brainer. It’s the right thing to do so we can all get on track again,” Popovich said in the video.
The video also shows Popovich receiving the vaccine. “I didn’t feel it,” he told the health care worker who gave him the shot.
The CDC guidelines suggest that priority for receiving the vaccine should go to health care personnel, those living in long-term care facilities, front-line essential workers, those over the age of 65 and people “with underlying medical conditions” that increase their vulnerability to COVID-19.
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