Sporting events across the country have been postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Buckingham Palace announced the news that the Queen – the longest-reigning monarch in British history – passed away aged 96 yesterday at Balmoral.
Now, the nation’s sporting bodies have made the decision to cancel various matches as a mark of respect, with football, cricket, horse racing and Rugby Union among those affected.
All of the football matches previously scheduled for Friday night – including Burnley vs Norwich in the Championship and Tranmere vs Stockport in League Two – have been called off, with matches in Scotland and Northern Ireland also not going ahead.
It’s unclear at this stage whether the weekend’s fixtures will also be postponed, with meetings set to take place with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport today before a further update is issued. We will share the update as soon as we hear it.
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As for cricket, the ECB announced that England’s ongoing Test Match against South Africa at The Oval would not continue on Friday, while matches scheduled in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy will also not go ahead. Further information on matches due to be held over the weekend is expected in due course.
All horse racing has also been put on hold by the British Horseracing Authority today, while in golf, the BMW PGA Championship has been suspended with news on when play can resume expected shortly.
In boxing, the weigh in for Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall ahead of their scheduled fight at the O2 tomorrow will go ahead behind closed doors, and it is possible the fight itself could be cancelled. An announcement is set to follow later today.
The Scottish Rugby Union has also announced that all competitive matches under its jurisdiction will not go ahead this weekend. In Rugby League, the Super League Elimination Play-Off between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos will go ahead, with a minute’s silence before kick-off.
A decision has yet to be made about the match between Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils on Saturday, while the fixture between Sheffield Eagles and Dewsbury Rams has been postponed.
In cycling, the remainder of the Tour of Britain will no longer go ahead, while in athletics, the Great North 5K and the UK Athletics 5K Road Championships, both planned for Friday, have been cancelled.
For the latest scheduling information, visit our TV Guide.