The Indy 500 is in danger of postponement and the Monaco Grand Prix has been canceled. Also: the IOC is not planning to postpone the Olympics just yet; NBCSN will carry live sports this weekend; three of the Big Four leagues are providing free access to game replays.
Indy 500 postponement possible, Monaco GP canceled
IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are preparing for a possible postponement of the Indy 500, which is scheduled for May 24, Sports Business Daily reported Thursday. “Our objective is to run as scheduled, but we … are planning for all contingencies,” IndyCar CEO Mark Miles told the publication.
One race scheduled for the same day has already been canceled. The Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix will not take place this year, ending a streak of 66 straight runnings. It is the seventh F1 race to be postponed or canceled this year. [SBD 3.19, F1 3.19]
IOC not planning to scrap Olympics yet
International Olympic Committee chairman Thomas Bach said Tuesday that there are no current plans to postpone the Tokyo Summer Olympics, but Sports Business Daily reported Wednesday that a one-year postponement is “in play.” There are mounting concerns about athletes’ ability to train in the various nations around the world where public life has been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The last time the Olympics was postponed or canceled for any reason was during World War II. [SBD 3.18, NYT 3.18]
NBCSN to air live horse racing, FS1 to carry eNASCAR
NBCSN will broadcast live sports this weekend when it simulcasts TVG Trackside Live from 4-8 PM ET Saturday and Sunday. Coverage will include the Louisiana Derby from New Orleans at 5 PM on Saturday. FS1 and FS2 will also have several hours of live horse racing this weekend, including a five-hour window on FS1 Saturday (1:30-6:30).
Also live this weekend is Sunday’s inaugural event in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, which will pit current and former NASCAR drivers against each other in a simulated competition. FS1 will broadcast the event with its usual NASCAR broadcast team of Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds calling the action.
As one would expect, most of the weekend sports programming will consist of taped programming. CBS, which was scheduled to carry seven NCAA Tournament windows this weekend, will instead air six classic games — the 1982, 1983, 2008, 2016 and 2019 national championship games and the 1992 Duke-Kentucky regional final. [NBC Sports PR 3.18, Fox Sports PR, John Ourand/Twitter 3.19 a, b, Fox Sports PR 3.20]
NBA, NFL, NHL, providing free access to game replays
The NBA, NFL and NHL are providing free access to full game replays through their respective subscription services, NBA League Pass, NFL Game Pass and NHL.TV. All NBA and NHL games so far this season will be available through April 22 and 30, respectively, while all NFL games from 2009-19 will be available through May 31. The services will also provide free access to classic games. [NBA.com, NFL.com 3.18, NHL.com 3.19]
