Future Sporting Events That Coronavirus Pandemic Could Still Cancel or Postpone

The coronavirus pandemic across the world has forced several major sports leagues, events, and festivals to come to a screeching halt as the world tries desperately to halt the spread and transmission.

While the end of March will likely be totally devoid of sports due to the leagues' cancellations, April, May, and beyond are almost assuredly going to see more of this, and these four events might not take place on their scheduled dates because of it.

4. Kentucky Derby

The Derby is one of spring's most cherished events on the sports calendar, but the prospects of the race starting on time are slim, to say the least. The Derby might be outside, which is better than corralling thousands of people into a heated, indoor arena, but the risk of infection will likely be too great for the biggest spectacle in all of horse racing to take place on the regularly scheduled date.

3. UFC 249

Dana White is stubbornly resisting the urge to cancel UFC events, doing everything from fighting in an empty arena to relocating events from Columbus to Las Vegas. Eventually, however, White's hand will likely be forced, especially if increased testing reveals a higher number of infected in America than previously indicated. UFC 249, which features Khabib Nurmagomedov taking on Tony Ferguson, would be the first big event White could look to cancel.

2. NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is one of the few events on the sports calendar that could theoretically eschew the live entertainment element and still go down relatively smoothly because teams could easily send picks in remotely. However, the draft has become a public spectacle in recent years, with Las Vegas set to host one of the gaudiest exhibitions of the event in late April. The public show that brings together thousands of fans could potentially be off, and the element of shaking the commissioner's hand after walking up to the stage might also get axed.

1. 2020 Olympics

The biggest sporting event in the world isn't above the virus' iron grip on the athletic world. In a time where traveling as minimally as possible is being emphasized, an event that brings together competitors from over 200 countries, all of which have different levels of exposure to the virus, is a recipe for disaster if the world is set on containing the spread. As awful as it may sound to sports fans and the Japanese government, which pumped a lot of time and money into getting this bid, the Olympics might not take place as scheduled.