Washington, Dec. 31 (BNA) The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League were forced to postpone matches on Thursday, as the increase in the Corona virus continued to wreak havoc on sports schedules.
The National Basketball Association said Thursday’s Golden State Warriors game in Denver was postponed after the Nuggets, who contracted the COVID-19 outbreak in the locker room, were unable to field a minimum of eight players.
Reuters reports that 11 NBA games have been postponed since December 14.
Also Thursday, the NHL said that due to issues with COVID-19 affecting the Dallas Stars, the team’s January 2 game at the Arizona Coyotes has been postponed.
The NHL has postponed more than 80 games this month amid a torrent of COVID-19 cases.
The postponements come in the wake of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s decision to suspend the World Junior Championships being held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta after players on several teams tested positive for the virus.
In an effort to avoid a similar shutdown, Skate Canada has announced that the January 6-13 Canadian National Figure Skating Championships, which will locate the Olympic team in Beijing, will take place in Ottawa without any spectators.
“We understand that this is disappointing to our fans and stakeholders,” Skate Canada President Karen Butcher and CEO Debra Armstrong said in a joint statement Thursday.
“However, our priority is to maintain the competitions needed to select teams for the Winter Olympics and ISU Championship events.”
M