All sports events that are planned in the Netherlands until March 31, attracting more than a hundred people, were canceled on Thursday due to the corona virus. This includes the Eredivisie and the international matches of the Dutch national team.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Bruno Bruins for Medical Care and Sport announced at a specially organized press conference in The Hague that they would take these measures to try to stop the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
This means that next weekend and the following weeks there will be no football in the Eredivisie and also the Kitchen Champion Division. For the Classic between Feyenoord and Ajax next week, a new date has to be found.
There is also a line through the practice matches of the Dutch national team with the United States (March 26) and Spain (March 29) and they will probably not be overtaken due to a use of space in the calendar.
In addition to football, the double round of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam (March 25 and 26) will also be canceled and the cycling races for the Ronde van Drenthe (March 13 to 15) and Olympia’s Tour (March 18 to 22).
Sports events that are canceled in the Netherlands:
- Matchday 27 and 28 of the Eredivisie
- Round 30, 31 and 32 of the Kitchen Champion Division
- International Netherlands-USA and Netherlands-Spain
- Two rounds of Premier League Darts in Rotterdam
- The Tour of Drenthe (men’s and women’s races)
- Olympia’s Tour (men’s race)
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Coronavirus has a major impact on sports worldwide
The Noord-Brabant Safety Region, the province where most infections have been detected, had already decided on Tuesday that the Eredivisie could not play football with PSV-FC Emmen, Willem II-sc Heerenveen and RKC Waalwijk-FC Groningen.
The national sports federations, including the KNVB, indicated that they would not make a decision regarding cancellation of events and would follow the advice of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the cabinet.
The KNVB could finish the matches in the Eredivisie and Keuken Kampioen Division this month behind closed doors, but they have already said that they do not intend to and will continue with the competitions on April 1.
The coronavirus also has a major influence on sport events in the rest of the world. The Italian and Spanish football leagues, among others, have been shut down for the foreseeable future and Germany and France are playing without an audience.
Follow the latest developments around the virus in the sports world in our live blog.
The coronavirus in short
- The virus spreads mainly through cough and sneeze drops that hang in the air for a short time. Those who do not show any symptoms hardly pose a risk of infection.
- An infected person infects two to three others on average. This number can decrease with good precautions.
- The vast majority of patients have mild (flu-like) symptoms.
- Almost all deaths concern older or already sick people. You can protect these people with precautionary measures.
- Read here what the most important precautions are.
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