The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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Rutgers women’s basketball has postponed home games on Thursday against Penn State and Sunday against Iowa.
The Scarlet Knights (5-3) have not played since an outbreak of COVID-19 hit the team on Jan. 3. By the end of this week, they will have postposed six games with only 10 left on the schedule.
Rutgers has not announced any recent positive tests, but it cannot play because of protocols outlining a return to competition after positive COVID-19 tests among Tier 1 individuals.
The schools will work with the Big Ten office on rescheduling options later this season.
Rutgers' next scheduled game is at Maryland on Jan. 28.
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Benfica says 17 positive COVID-19 tests have been detected among its staff and players, including Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen and German forward Luca Waldschmidt.
The Portuguese soccer club says altogether five players are among those who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Benfica has contacted local health authorities for guidance on whether it should continue competing in the next few weeks.
Benfica trails rivals Porto and Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese league.
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The NFL says the latest round of COVID-19 testing turned up three positive tests among players and six among other personnel as the Super Bowl nears.
In weeklong testing that ended Saturday, 3,888 tests were given to 590 players and 5,985 were administered to 1,016 personnel.
The new results bring the totals since testing began in August to 262 players and 460 other personnel who were confirmed positive out of nearly 950,000 tests.
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The NHL has postponed its first game since the league’s season began, postponing Tuesday night’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Predators hours after the teams played the first of a two-game set in Nashville.
The league only said the game was postponed to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game-day personnel.
For the Hurricanes, captain Jordan Staal had been the only player on the NHL’s unavailability list due to COVID-19 protocols. Staal had been on that daily list since Friday, with the Hurricanes losing at Detroit on Saturday then winning Monday 4-2 at Nashville in that span. Nashville’s only player on the unavailability list has been forward Mikael Granlund who only arrived back in Tennessee from Finland on Friday and is in quarantine before joining the Predators.
The NHL has not announced a make-up date.
The teams aren’t scheduled to play again in Nashville until the end of the season, with back-to-back games on May 7-8.
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The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday that the men's basketball game between Boston College and No. 12 Virginia Tech on Wednesday has been postponed.
The postponement follows a positive test, subsequent quarantining, and contact tracing within the Boston College men’s program. The league says the team is adhering to ACC protocols.
No makeup date has been announced.
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The Kentucky women’s basketball game at Tennessee has been rescheduled for Sunday.
The game had initially been scheduled for Jan. 3 but was postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the Lady Vols program. The Wildcats are ranked 12th and Tennessee 25th. The Lady Vols originally were scheduled to play Vanderbilt on Sunday, but the Commodores announced Monday they were discontinuing their season because of a depleted roster.
The other Southeastern Conference women’s games Sunday include: Auburn at Alabama, South Carolina at LSU, Florida at Mississippi and Texas A&M at Missouri.
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The French soccer federation says amateur clubs will take part in this year’s French Cup after the ministry of sports agreed to the move amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The federation says amateur teams in France and overseas territories involved in the 104th edition of the yearly tournament have been allowed to resume training immediately.
The federation says the decision will ensure “the smooth running of a competition emblematic of the unity of French soccer.”
All matches will be played without fans and in the afternoon to avoid a clash with the nationwide 6 p.m. curfew. Players will undergo tests two to three days before each game and will have another test on the day of the match.
No matches will be postponed if there is a COVID-19 outbreak at a specific club. Teams will instead be forced to forfeit.
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