Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said the academic training at the National Centre of Excellence and Sports Auhtority of India Training Centres will also be suspended.

India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on Monday stressed on the importance of taking necessary precautions in the next two weeks to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has created a global upheaval. Former World No 1 Kidambi Srikanth also took to twitter, urging people to help each other instead of panicking.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed over 6,000 lives and infected close to 160,000 people worldwide, has led to the cancellation or postponement of all sporting events across the globe. ports Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the athletes to not lose spirit and keep working hard to stay battle ready for competitions.

Coronavirus crisis caused mass cancellations and postponements in the last three days, March was to be a busy sports month. But as things stand now, there is no live action there for the fans once the All England Championships of badminton wind up in Birmingham.

The Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and men and women's FA Cup competitions were suspended on Friday following an emergency meeting sparked by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta testing positive for the virus a day earlier.

The unprecedented shutdown of world sport in response to the coronavirus spread that has infected more than 134,000 people and killed around 5,000 also prompted organisers to postpone the Formula One motor races in Vietnam and Bahrain. The start of the lucrative Indian Premier League has also been postponed until April 15 as a "precautionary measure", the Board of Control for Cricket in India said.

The views are stunning, the skies are blue, the forests are lush and, wonder of wonders, thanks to the discipline of the tea estate, even man isn't vile, discover Renu Bahal Wadhwa and T C A Srinivasa Raghavan after a trip to Kerala's breathtakingly beautiful hill retreat.

The money-spinning Indian Premier League has mulled a closed-door edition in a desperate bid to avoid cancellation as the deadly COVID-19 sent Indian sports into quarantine after a government directive for fans to be kept away from all action to prevent the pandemic from spreading.

The guidelines are expected to be followed at the upcoming IPL, starting March 29, too.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia will be the first in more 35 years to be held without spectators after organisers introduced tighter measures to protect against the coronavirus. Here is a list of international sports events hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

US President Trump and the First Lady held hands as they strolled at the Taj complex and later wrote in the visitors' book. They were also briefed about the history and importance of the monument.

Trump is accompanied by First Lady Melania, daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and the top brass of his administration.

The Trump-Bahubali video, which ends with "USA and India United", went viral after Trump retweeted it.

From Dwight D Eisenhower to Bill Clinton, many American presidents have made sure they're photographed against the backdrop of the Taj. And, now the monument is ready to impress Trump for that family frame. Well, almost ready, reports Shreya Jai.

US President Donald Trump took a loop around the Daytona 500 racetrack on Sunday in his presidential limousine, drawing cheers from fans at NASCAR's most prestigious race not long after completing a dramatic flyby on Air Force One. Ramping up his nationwide re-election effort after his acquittal in the US Senate impeachment trial, Trump served as grand marshal at the annual National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing event, which takes place in the electoral swing state of Florida.

The ceremony will now be hosted by Hugh Grant, the Golden Globe-winning actor, though the organisers had earlier announced that the host will be Sharon Stone.

List of international sports events affected by the coronavirus that has killed over 900 people and infected more than 40,000 in China

Shanghai sports authorities have recommended the suspension of all sporting events in the city due to the coronavirus outbreak, casting further doubt on whether the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix will take place. This year's calendar has a record 22 races, leaving little chance of any rescheduling. Russia, whose race is in September but has previously been held in April, has already ruled out a date swap.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that the government will keep in close touch with all relevant groups to ensure a virus outbreak does not have affect the Summer Olympics. Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said organisers are not considering cancelling the Olympics, which start on July 24.

'This is the first time when you see the story of the Azad Hind Fauj through the eyes of the soldiers.'

A true global superstar, the depth of Kobe Bryant's popularity quickly surfaced as reports were confirmed that the Los Angeles Lakers great had been killed along with his daughter Gianna and seven others when his helicopter crashed in a remote field near the city of Calabasas.

Rafael Nadal is in contention for the 'World Sportsman of the Year' award alongside six-time Formula 1 World champion Lewis Hamilton, six-time World MotoGP champion Marc Mrquez and six-time FIFA World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi.

'It's not easy to handle a team at a big, big club... always demanding to win competitions and every manager needs time. I have the feeling United started to play the way he wants'

Iyene Essien's golf medals already outnumber her 13 years of age, and she has competed on three continents. She is the top junior player in Nigeria, and now wants to deliver her country's first gold medal for golf at the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics.

Qatar will begin sifting through fan feedback from the Club World Cup to see how it can provide supporters with a successful World Cup in 2022, but cultural differences will be a tricky challenge to surmount. Drinking and partying can be a tricky concept in a country with strict restrictions on alcohol consumption and low tolerance for rowdiness.

The family that used to make the legendary sports car wants to bring the same design panache to luxury flats.

'The Triber, which sits between the Kwid and the Duster in the Renault portfolio, is an affordable option for those who have their sights set on a multipurpose vehicle and want to get something different from, say, a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga,' says Pavan Lall.

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday

United States captain Tiger Woods led from the front as the Americans dominated the Sunday singles to overhaul the Internationals at Royal Melbourne and claim an eighth successive Presidents Cup. Woods clinched a record 27th win in the event with a 3&2 victory over Abraham Ancer to fire up his team and then beamed from the sidelines as they landed crushing early blows before sealing the event with a match to spare.

Brian Lara on the challenges that lie ahead for new West Indies Captain Kieron Pollard.

A company commander has written to authorities that the troops were given drinking water from water canons.

The week gone by has been full of drama and here we bring you all the action from the sporting field in pictures!

The store segmentation approach that Shoppers Stop is taking is intended to improve its hit rate at a time when local and international fashion retailers are crowding the market with new merchandise across price points.

Brian Lara said he took to golf to release from the pressures of playing a team sport (cricket).

'I remember on occasions where I lay in my room feeling the despair. It (mental health issue) is real, it is part of all sport and it is coming to the fore now with a lot more aggression. Players are at least standing up and saying 'I need to just remove myself, fight myself and comeback again'

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo's knee problem is getting better but he still might have to sit out their Champions League match at home to Atletico Madrid, coach Maurizio Sarri said on Monday.

Real Madrid overcame an early howler from Sergio Ramos to beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at home on an eventful Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Gareth Bale was loudly booed by his own supporters and Luka Modric returned to his very best form.

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin took a lap around the 'Mecca of Indian cricket'

With the two teams arriving in Kolkata in the next 48 hours, all roads in the 'City of Joy' lead to the Eden.