As the world slowly starts to resume activities that had been halted due to the coronavirus, sporting activities are also seeing a comeback, and horse racing is not left out. France has announced that they would be resuming racing on the 12th of May behind closed doors.

The announcement came after they received clearance to do so from the police. The event would take place at ParisLongChamp where 1,069 horses have already been registered for the race. The other two venues for the races are Toulouse and Compiegne.

France is one of the countries with the most confirmed cases of the coronavirus and they have enforced a strict lockdown up to the end of May in a bid to contain the virus. The country has also been reluctant about sporting activities and even placed a ban on large gatherings till the end of July. But the go-ahead by the police allows sports to hold.

The president of the horse racing body in France, France Gallop, Edouard de Rothschild, described the clearance as “very good news.” Chief executive of the body, Olivier Deyolle expressed his thanks for the support he received from certain ministers.

In Germany, racing has also received clearance from relevant authorities and would be staged in Hanover on the 7th of May without spectators.

The match would be streamed live. There would also be races on Friday and Sunday. There had been plans to resume racing on Monday but that had to be cancelled and resumption would instead be on Thursday.

Britain is still yet to receive clearance for races to start as the lockdown measures there are still at their fullest. However, plans are still being made and racing is expected to begin this month.

Nick Rust, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, expressed the eagerness of the body to resume activities, saying that they could start within a week of receiving permission to do so by the government.

Written by: Leon Osamor