THE Diamond League has announced the postponement of its track and field meetings scheduled for May due to the escalating coronavirus crisis.

The meets in Stockholm, Naples and Rome, and Rabat have joined the opening events in Qatar and China, which were already cancelled.

The Diamond League, which includes stars such as the UK's world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, said it remained hopeful of announcing a re-arranged schedule for the 2020 season in due course.

It said in a statement: “The meeting organisers, the Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics remain committed to delivering a structured extensive season in 2020. The aim is to ensure that athletes can compete at the highest possible level this year and that fans will be able to see their favourite stars in action whenever the global health situation allows.”

nDespite new statistics showing the US is the world’s worst affected nation from the virus, the NFL indicated its draft will go ahead as scheduled next month. In a memo seen by nfl.com, commissioner Roger Goodell instructs teams to ensure their draft operations are conducted in a way that ensures the safety of staff.

Goodell wrote: “There is no assurance that we can select a different date and be confident that conditions will be significantly more favourable than they are today.”