While countries such as Belarus, Turkmenistan and Taiwan defied the virus to keep playing football, South Korea -- the 2002 World Cup co-hosts and semi-finalists -- are the first prominent nation in the sport to allow matches. South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of COVID-19 outside China, prompting professional sports to suspend or delay their seasons, a pattern that was repeated worldwide. The new football season comes just two days after the return of professional baseball in South Korea, which has struck a television deal with ESPN for US fans. And South Korea will next week become the first country to see women's professional golf resume after COVID-19. South Korea has seen only a trickle of new coronavirus infections in recent days, with two fresh cases reported on Wednesday -- both of them overseas arrivals -- taking the total to 10,806.

Source: Standard Digital May 06, 2020 07:30 UTC