The British sporting calendar is in doubt this weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The nation has entered a period of National Mourning with guidelines released detailing how sport should respond appropriately to the news.
Manchester United and West Ham played their Europa League football matches just an hour or so after the announcement from Buckingham Palace due to the late notice of the Queen’s passing.
However, other events have already been postponed on Friday, with large question marks raised over sport scheduled to take place this weekend.
Underpinning all of the decisions made about sport is a statement from the government which reads: “There is no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the National Mourning period. This is at the discretion of individual organisations.
“As a mark of respect, organisations might wish to consider cancelling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the State Funeral. They are under no obligation to do so and this is entirely at the discretion of individual organisations.”
RadioTimes.com brings you a round-up of sporting events and their status this weekend following the death of Her Royal Highness.
Will sport be cancelled this weekend?
Football
All Premier League and English Football League matches have been postponed on 9th-12th September.
The Premier League said: “At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.”
The EFL said: “Further to discussions on Friday morning it has been determined that all EFL fixtures from 9-10th September will be postponed as a mark of respect by the National Sport to the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.
“This is aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend.
“Further information, in respect of how football, clubs and their supporters will commemorate Her Majesty’s reign will be confirmed at an appropriate point.
“Details regarding rearranged games will be announced in due course.”
Cricket
England v South Africa has been postponed. The third Test match of the series was due to be held at The Oval yesterday but play was postponed due to rain. Now the second day has been called off following the announcement. It remains to be seen what will happen to the remainder of the match.
Great North Run
The Great North 5k has been cancelled, but the main Great North Run has not been cancelled at the time of writing. More than 60,000 runners are expected to descend on Tyneside for the event, with millions of pounds due to be raised for charity. Officials are in discussions and a decision will be made soon.
Golf
The BMW PGA Championship has been postponed after the first day of the competition at Wentworth. Play was stopped at the announcement, and will continue to be held on pause this Friday. It remains to be seen whether the remainder of the tournament will go ahead.
Cycling
The Tour of Britain has been fully cancelled despite the event being set to conclude in the Isle of Wight on Sunday. This was one of the very first events to be postponed, and it appears that a conclusion will not be reached at all.
Rugby Union
The new Premiership Rugby 2022/23 season was due to begin tonight with a clash between Bristol and Bath. No official confirmation has been made either way over whether the match will be played.
Boxing
Savannah Marshall’s hotly-anticipated showdown with Claressa Shields is in doubt. The pair were due to meet at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night. Reports suggest the weigh-in will continue to take place, but it remains to be seen whether the fight itself will go ahead or not.
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