The coronavirus pandemic continued to affect the world of sport on Wednesday.
Here, the PA news agency recaps the day’s main developments.
(All times GMT)
2.06am – The Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay is postponed after the Games themselves were pushed back to 2021 on Tuesday.
3.03am – Tennis player Thiago Seyboth Wild reveals he contracted the virus and has been in self-isolation for a week.
Stay safe pic.twitter.com/rshLHLOTqY — Thiago Seyboth Wild (@thiagoswild) March 25, 2020
7.30am – The suspension of Japan’s J.League is extended into May, along with the associated cup competition.
8.00am – Brighton announce they will donate 1,000 tickets for future matches to frontline NHS workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic and encourage other clubs to do likewise.
👏 We're passing the baton on to @afcbournemouth… Over to you guys and thanks for taking up the challenge!#Tickets4NHS#BHAFC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ioLLCuSWQW — Brighton & Hove Albion ⚽️ (@OfficialBHAFC) March 25, 2020
8.10am – Bournemouth join Brighton’s initiative with a similar promise to provide tickets for NHS staff.
10.02am – International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says he hopes the Tokyo Games can be staged by the summer of 2021 at the latest and does not rule out staging the event in the spring.
10.09am – British Swimming confirms the FINA Diving World Series set for London has now been cancelled, along with all end-of-season domestic championships. The FINA event had originally been postponed from the end of March.
An update from the #SoccerAid for @UNICEF_uk team 👇💙 For further details, including tickets information 👉 https://t.co/WjQTi0DQYA pic.twitter.com/vArqkPFxQv — Soccer Aid ⚽️ (@socceraid) March 25, 2020
11.00am – Unicef’s Soccer Aid fundraiser, scheduled to take place at Old Trafford on June 6, is postponed.
11.50am – Tottenham reveal they will take part in the Clap For Our Carers campaign, which asks people to applaud the efforts of the NHS at 8pm on Thursday.
11.56am – Roger Federer and wife Mirka announce they will donate 1million Swiss francs to vulnerable families in Switzerland (£858,645).
League Statement National League CEO Michael Tattersall issues statement to all member clubs. Read here👉https://t.co/qygxUclzHY#WeAreTheWood — Boreham Wood FC (@BOREHAM_WOODFC) March 25, 2020
12.20pm – The National League announces it has asked the Football Association to help end its season “as soon as possible” due to the coronavirus in a statement issued to clubs, published by Boreham Wood.
1.26pm – Former world light-welterweight champion Amir Khan offers his newly-refurbished wedding venue to the NHS to help people affected by coronavirus.
1.46pm – National League Hartlepool announce they have asked staff and players to take a 20 per cent pay cut for March as well as terminating the contracts of “a small number” of members of staff.
Club Statement 👉 https://t.co/3MBo15Tujd pic.twitter.com/xC08sRMVd6 — London Irish (@LiRFC) March 25, 2020
2.49pm – London Irish become the latest Gallagher Premiership club to cut the wages of players and some staff by 25 per cent.
4pm – The Professional Footballers’ Association calls for urgent talks with the Premier League and the EFL following reports some players had been asked to take wage deferrals.
6.30pm – The RFU reveals its executive team will take a pay cut of more than 25 per cent as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of heavy losses over the next 18 months.
