Coronavirus: Here's what's happening in the sports world on Wednesday

The latest on how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting sports around the globe:

• Women's golf tour starts Thursday in South Korea without fans
• Poll of NBA players shows majority want to play
• MLB outlines safety plan in 80-page memo: report
• NFL extends virtual off-season through end of May
• Safety plan outlined by PGA Tour approved
• Switzerland grants funding to sports bodies
• Players at French rugby club Toulouse willing to take pay cut

Women's golf starts up in South Korea

The South Korean women's golf tour is starting up again with the KLPGA Championship opening on Thursday, an event that will be played without fans on the course.

CBC Sports will be live streaming each round, beginning at 2 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday. Saturday's third round starts at 1 a.m., with the final round Sunday slated for midnight.

Women's golf in South Korea joins Korea's professional baseball and soccer leagues, which have already restarted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The priority is the safety of the players, tournament officials and golf fans and [the event] will be broadcast," organizers said in a statement.

The tournament at the Lakewood Country Club located east of Seoul was originally schedule for April 30 through May 3.

Organizers said social distancing will be practiced by players and tournament officials. Players will also have hand sanitizers available. It was not clear if players would take coronavirus tests.

Poll shows bulk of NBA players want to play

A person familiar with the results of poll of NBA players taken by their union says there would be "overwhelming" support for any plan that has this season resuming in a safe way amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The poll conducted by the National Basketball Players Association was informal but gave a clear sense that players would like to not only get to the playoffs but also resume at least some of the regular season, according to the person who shared details with The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because it was not to be detailed publicly.

The NBPA sent a letter to agents Tuesday discussing, among other things, the results of the player polling and some details of the call the union and its membership had late last week with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. In that call, Silver talked about the possibility of resuming a season without fans and potentially playing at a centralized site — notions that have been discussed for some time.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr, whose team wouldn't be headed to the playoffs and was preparing to play home games in an empty arena because of the virus threat before the league suspended the season, told radio station 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area on Tuesday that he believes the Warriors' season is over.

MLB outlines player safety plans in 80-page memo: report

Major League Baseball will send to players an outline of plans for player safety in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the detailed outline covers 80 pages and provides a step-by-step return to spring training and beyond.

Owners approved restarting spring training with a goal of beginning the 2020 regular around July 1. Under the plan, teams can hold spring training at their home ballparks or return to their usual spring training facilities in Florida or Arizona in mid-June.

Should games begin in July, fans will not be present in ballparks, and there is question as to whether all home stadiums will be available to host players-only games.

Baseball is being played in South Korea, but with several measures in place designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Players are tested daily, umpires wear masks, spitting is banned and high-fives are prohibited.

CONCACAF cancels men's U-20 tournament

CONCACAF has called off its Men's Under-20 Championships, which was scheduled to kick off June 20 in Honduras, citing the "ongoing uncertainty about when football can resume."

CONCACAF has already halted its Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Guadalajara, Women's Under-17 Championships in Toluca, Mexico and futsal championship in Guatemala.

Also gone by the board are the first round of 2021 Gold Cup Qualifiers, the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and final, the Caribbean Club Shield and Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League play.

The confederation covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.

"We will continue to discuss with our Member Associations, FIFA and other stakeholders proposals to reorganize our competitions so we are well prepared when our sport can safely resume in the future," CONCACAF said in a statement.

NFL extends virtual off-season through May

The NFL has extended its virtual off-season workouts through the end of May, a person familiar with the move tells The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision to bar in-person sessions beyond the previous deadline of May 15 has not been announced publicly.

NFL teams normally would be holding Organized Team Activities (OTAs) during May, followed by June minicamps. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, such activities have been done remotely.

Coaching and training staffs have worked with the players by conducting classroom instruction and on-field activities through digital applications instead of at team facilities, which have been closed since late March. Those virtual meetings can occur for four hours per day, four days per week.

Teams can send up to $1,500 to each player to purchase equipment.

All 32 teams must submit plans for reopening their facilities to the league by Friday, though no dates for such reopenings are set. Offseason workouts (OTAs and minicamps) must end by June 26, a week or so later than usual. That, of course, could change depending on developments with the pandemic.

PGA safety measures, player protection plan approved

A three-stage screening process and isolation within tournament cities are part of the approved safety plan outlined by the PGA Tour.

The Tour returns with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, June 11-14 with wide-ranging restrictions created to minimize risk and concern about the spread of the coronavirus.

A 37-page memo on safety regulations that are being adopted for all events during the coronavirus pandemic was sent to players on Tuesday.

Included in the outline are specifics on travel — families are not permitted at events and one or two hotels will be used for all players — and caddie etiquette. Caddies are required to sanitize the flagstick and bunker rake after each use.

Any player with a thermal test exceeding a temperature of 100.4 degrees is required to take a coronavirus test. A positive result for the coronavirus means the player must immediately quarantine and will be unable to compete in the tournament. Additionally, that player would need to self-isolate for 10 days and produce two negative results 24 hours apart before being cleared to return.

Switzerland grants funding to sports bodies

The professional soccer and ice hockey leagues in Switzerland are in line to get federal loans totalling 350 million Swiss francs ($360 million US) to help teams cope with a loss of revenue during the pandemic.

The government passed an aid package on Wednesday that includes teaming up with the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee to offer repayable loans for up to 60 international sports organizations based in the country.

Soccer and hockey are the most popular team sports in Switzerland and both were shut down by a federal ruling in February prohibiting mass gatherings.

The Swiss hockey league cancelled its season entirely and the two top soccer divisions could restart next month in empty stadiums. The 20 clubs are set to decide on May 29.

The first round of federal loans will be available through the leagues to cover team losses from June 1 for six months: 100 million Swiss francs ($103 million) will initially be available to soccer teams and 75 million Swiss francs ($77 million) for hockey,

L.A. County to extend stay-at-home order through July: report

Los Angeles County is expected to extend its stay-at-home order through at least July due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

The county's public health director, Barbara Ferrer, said Tuesday at a Board of Supervisors meeting that it likely will be slow going in its bid to loosen the rules.

Eleven major sports programs play in Los Angeles County: UCLA and USC, the Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Galaxy, Kings, Los Angeles FC, Lakers, Rams and Sparks.

Major League Baseball owners reportedly approved a proposal that commissioner Rob Manfred planned to present to players Tuesday that aims to have the sport in home stadiums by early July.

The NFL season is slated to start on Sept. 10, but there are built-in contingency plans if things must be pushed back.

Rugby players at Toulouse offer to take pay cuts

The players at French rugby club Toulouse have offered to take a pay cut amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The players at the 20-time French champions say they told club president Bernard Lemaitre they are willing to accept "a significant decrease" in earnings. They did not give any figures regarding the amount of the proposed decrease.

Lemaitre praised his players, saying it "further reinforces our motivation and our desire to meet the challenges of tomorrow."

The French league was cancelled after the government called it off late last month. The semifinals of the Top 14 league will not be played.