France’s sports ministry can give no guarantee that Tour de France will go ahead amid global health pandemic.

France’s sports ministry can give no guarantee that Tour de France will go ahead amid global health pandemic.

THE French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu has declared that there is “no guarantee” that the Tour de France will go ahead this year.

The world’s most famous cycling event was already rescheduled from June to August because of the Coronavirus crisis, but the minister could offer little assurance that the race would get the green light. Due to social distancing, large events have been banned in France until the end of August and the sports ministry have said that special arrangements might have to be made for the start of the Tour in Nice.

France’s lockdown, in place since March 17, is set to ease off on Monday, although the seasons of several sports championships, including football’s Ligue 1 and rugby’s Top 14, have been put on hold. Maracineanu added that the Tour and tennis’s rescheduled French Open, which will now start on September 27 could be held behind closed doors should the ban be extended. The news came on the day cycling’s world governing body confirmed the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España will overlap in October as the UCI unveiled its revised calendar.