⁍ The Australia Open will be absent from the sporting calendar for the first time since World War Two this season.
⁍ Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia cancelled all of their top events on Friday because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
⁍ The 105th edition of the country’s oldest and most prestigious tournament had already been postponed from its usual slot in November.
– For the first time since World War II, Australia’s major sporting events have been canceled due to the H1N1 virus, Reuters reports. The men’s and women’s Australia Open, as well as the Australian PGA Championship, have been called off. “It’s unprecedented and a real blow for Australian golf and its fans,” said the chief of the PGA of Australia. “We have collectively spent months in exhaustive consultation with all relevant authorities and our sanctioning partners to try to find a way to stage all three events safely. But even with multiple contingency plans, it has reached a point where decisions have to be made and this, regrettably, is the one we’ve had to take.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-golf-australia/australia-open-cancelled-for-first-time-since-ww2-idUSKBN27101Z