After the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II the sporting world, and indeed the whole country, has come together in mourning. Due to the incredible longevity of The Queen’s reign, the longest in British history, the passing of a monarch is an unprecedented event for most of us. It is hard to know what to expect and how to proceed now that the only head of state most of us have ever known has passed away.
Various governing bodies having triggered their own procedures in the hours since the Royal announcement was made. The Sportsman has compiled these decisions in order to offer clarity on which sports will and will not be going ahead over the coming days.
Football
The EFL have announced that Friday’s fixtures will be postponed. Burnley were due to welcome Norwich City in The Championship while Stockport County were set to travel to Tranmere Rovers in League 2. The EFL have said in a statement that there will be a further announcement pertaining to this weekend’s fixtures “following a review of the official mourning guidance, in addition to further consultation with DCMS and other sports”.
The Premier League are yet to clarify the status of this weekend’s games. A report in the Daily Mail suggested the majority of clubs are “expecting” the scheduled matches to be postponed.
The SPFL chose to postpone Friday’s Championship tie between Cove Rangers and Dundee as a mark of respect. A further announcement will be made on Friday regarding the remaining league programme for the weekend.
Given the proximity of the announcement to last night’s Europa League and Conference League ties, UEFA made the decision to have Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Real Socieded and West Ham United’s 3-1 victory over FCSB go ahead. The English sides did not do any post-match media.
Horse Racing
The British Horseracing Authority paid touching tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in a statement, calling her "one of the greatest and most influential supporters in the history of horseracing". All of Friday’s racing is suspended as a mark of respect with a further announcement expected on the resumption of the sport imminently.
Boxing
The weigh-ins for this weekend’s O2 card, headlined by Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall’s middleweight unification, have been moved behind closed doors. BOXXER released a statement in which CEO Ben Shalom called The Queen “an iconic and unrivalled leader for our nation and an inspiration for women all over the world.”
Clarifying the status of the fight card, the statement said a decision on the card “will be made following consultation with relevant government and sports sector bodies.”
Rugby League
Super League pledged to “pay its respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II throughout the period of national mourning". Friday’s Super League Elimination Play-Off between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos in Perpignan will be going ahead. Both teams will wear black armbands and observe a two-minute silence before playing. An announcement about the other play-off, Saturday’s meeting between Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils, will be made on Friday.
The Queen was Rugby League’s patron until 2016 and the Rugby Football League promised to “display respect to Her Majesty wherever Rugby League is played in the coming days."
Golf
The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club suspended play for the remainder of Thursday and will postpone Friday’s schedule. The European Tour Group are expected to make an announcement on the resumption of play in due course.
Cricket
ECB have announced Friday’s Test Match play between England and South Africa will be postponed. The Rachel Heyhoe Trophy schedule has also been cleared with a statement adding, "For fixtures beyond Friday, updates will be provided in due course”.