The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
The St. Louis Cardinals plan to expand to full capacity at Busch Stadium for the remainder of 2021 season beginning June 14 against the Miami Marlins.
In addition, season ticket holders will be able to access their normal seats for the remainder of the season.
Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Maton, right, scores past Miami Marlins catcher Sandy Leon on a single by Jean Segura during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoMatt Slocum)
The team also is expanding capacity beginning with a weekend series against the Cubs in May, roughly doubling it to allow around 30,000 fans. Total capacity is 45,538.
COVID-19 protocols remain in place for the season, including mobile-only ticketing and cashless transactions. Bags are not permitted.
Bellator will allow fans for the June 11 MMA card at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn, right, jumps in the air to avoid a shot as Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer covers the net in the third period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Monday, May 17, 2021, in Denver. Colorado won 4-1. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
Bellator will have fans for a domestic card for the first time since March of last year when Douglas Lima fights Yaroslav Amosov in the main event for the welterweight championship. Bellator says fans also will be allowed for the June 25 card, also at Mohegan Sun. Both events will be televised on Showtime.
The MMA promotion did not specify a number of fans allowed.
The company ran 16 shows during the pandemic at Mohegan Sun Arena and also had three events overseas. Bellator was the first major MMA promotion to hold an event in France.
Linesman Bryan Pancich, left, pushes away St. Louis Blues left wing Kyle Clifford after he tangled with Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer as time ran out in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Monday, May 17, 2021, in Denver. Colorado won 4-1. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
The NCAA has announced it will let local authorities decide whether there will be limits on attendance at venues for the national baseball and softball tournaments.
Masks and physical distancing also will not be required unless mandated by local health authorities. The guidance is subject to change based on emerging trends and science around COVID-19.
The two tournaments open with 16 regionals, followed by eight super regionals, played at campus sites.
The softball tournament starts Friday, with the Women’s College World Series opening June 3 at 12,000-seat USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Baseball regionals begin June 4, with the College World Series opening June 19 at 24,000-seat TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
The NCAA last month set fan capacity at 50% for its outdoor spring championships and Division I fall championships being held in the spring.
The Miami Marlins will remove restrictions on attendance starting July 5, when social distancing requirements will be lifted and open seating restored, the team said Wednesday.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, crowds in Miami this season have been limited to about 25% of capacity, or a maximum of about 9,300 spectators in the Marlins’ 37,446-seat ballpark.
Beginning Friday, fans will not be required to wear protective masks, but those who haven’t been vaccinated are encouraged to adhere to mask recommendations from the CDC. A mandatory mask policy for event staff will continue.
Social distancing between seat pods for fans will continue through June.
The St. Louis Blues have reached out to the National Hockey League in regard to virus testing ahead of Game 2 of their best-of-seven series with the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche.
The Blues have three players on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, leading scorer David Perron, Nathan Walker and Jake Walman. St. Louis recently confirmed that Walman, who’s fully vaccinated, had tested positive for the virus after undergoing additional tests.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Blues president of hockey operations & general manager Doug Armstrong said: “We have discovered discrepancies in COVID test results relating to multiple players. We have been in touch with and are working with the League to address these discrepancies with additional testing and expect to have further information later.”
A league spokesman said to expect an update Wednesday.
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