Coronavirus: Here's what happened in the sports world on Monday

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

NHL eyeing neutral sites

Commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday that the league is eyeing "probably eight or nine different places" that each would play host to approximately 12 teams.

Multiple media outlets have indicated that Las Vegas is one of the front-runners to be a host site. ESPN also reported that Minnesota, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver also have submitted proposals to the NHL. According to Sportsnet, Columbus is another possibility.

The NHL suspended play on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with teams having between 11 and 14 games left in the regular season. The structure of the season, if and when it resumes, remains uncertain.

Multiple media outlets have reported that the NHL is weighing the possibility of a 24-team playoff tournament instead of the usual 16-team field.

Canadian Triple Crown season to begin in September

The $1-million Queen's Plate will remain North America's longest, continuously run stakes race. Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson announced Monday the opening leg of Canada's Triple Crown will be run Sept. 12 at Woodbine Racetrack.

The Queen's Plate dates back to 1860 and is widely regarded as the country's most popular and recognized horse race. As well, the $125,000 Plate Trial and $500,000 Woodbine Oaks — two key prep races for the Queen's Plate — will both be held Aug. 15 at Woodbine.

The Oaks is Canada's premier event for three-year-old fillies and the opening leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara.

USGA eliminates qualifying for 2020 US Open

The COVID-19 pandemic, which already has postponed the U.S. Open from June to September, has forced the USGA to do away with qualifying for the first time since 1924.

Open qualifying is the hallmark of golf's second-oldest championship. The USGA often points out that typically half of the 156-man field has to go through either 36-hole qualifying or 18-hole and 36-hole qualifying.

It even invested in a marketing campaign that was rolled out in February titled, "From Many, One," to illustrate that some 9,000 people apply to play in the U.S. Open, eventually yielding to one winner.

The USGA did not announce Monday how other players would become exempt.

Premier League to begin 1st phase of 'Project Restart'

Premier League clubs will return to training on Tuesday after agreeing to allow "small group" sessions to begin, the first step on the road to a return to competitive action.

The league held a conference call for all 20 clubs on Monday where the move was given unanimous backing.

It is the first move in the league's 'Project Restart' plans to restart play in the league, which has not held a game since March 9 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Government last week opened the door for the return of elite sport, but several hurdles remain before the Premier League can resume behind closed doors with the aim of completing the remaining 92 matches of the season.

Project Restart was originally looking at a June 12 resumption date but should the clubs agree and, if there is no rise in infections in the country, a return date of June 19 or June 26 appears the most likely.

New York, Texas, California move closer to return of sports

Governors from New York, California and Texas announced Monday that professional sports could resume in their respective states in the near future.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that he has asked the major sports teams in his state to prepare to reopen without fans.

"New York state will help those major sport franchises to do just that," he said during his daily news conference at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. "Hockey, basketball, baseball, football, whoever can reopen, we're a ready, willing and able partner."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced later on Monday that his state "is prepared to move into Phase 2 for further reopening of business."

While Abbott cited May 31 as a target date, the Lone Star State is expected to serve as the host for The Genesys 600 NTT IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6 and the PGA Tour's Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11-14 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. Both events will be held without fans in attendance.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday that his state plans to open up in a few weeks provided "we hold these trend lines."

"Sporting events, pro sports, in that first week or so of June without spectators and modifications and very prescriptive conditions also can begin to move forward," Newsom said.

NFL developing facemask with surgical, N95 material

The NFL Players Association's medical director on Monday said the NFL and equipment company Oakley are working on developing a facemask that contains surgical or N95 material in an effort to better protect players from the coronavirus when they return to the playing field.

During an appearance on "The Adam Schefter Podcast," Thom Mayer said a recommendation probably will be made to the NFL that the league use the revised facemasks. Mayer said the new designs could see the entire facemask covered by the new protective material.

"Back in early March, I had suggested that we should consider novel and emerging ways to handle the helmets and the facemasks and the spread of the virus," Mayer said. "And these guys, the bioengineers that we use and that the league uses — Oakley, as you may or may not know, does all the face visors for the league under contract — these guys got the bit between their teeth."

World TeamTennis sticking to July start

World TeamTennis CEO Carlos Silva says the league is "still on track for July 12" to open its three-week season and is hoping to select a site this week.

Silva said in a telephone interview Monday with the AP that four cities are "in the mix." He mentioned Texas and Florida as possible host states.

The International Tennis Federation and the ATP and WTA tours said Friday they were extending their suspensions of play into late July because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But World TeamTennis is not sanctioned by those three groups and doesn't need to follow their guidelines.

The WTT already had announced that it would be picking one city to host all nine of its teams for the 2020 season, instead of playing matches around the United States, as it usually does.

German soccer issues reminder on celebrations

Bundesliga soccer players will be reminded not to celebrate goals together after Hertha Berlin's team shared hugs and high fives over the weekend.

Most teams have stuck to restrained arm bumps when they score but Hertha's more exuberant celebrations in the 3-0 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday prompted criticism they were undermining the league's social distancing guidelines.

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein says clubs "are speaking with [players] day in, day out to tell them and remind them of what needs to be done to ensure that we can earn the right to go to a second match day and a third match day and then to finish the season."

Klein says overall the guidelines were "well respected" as the top two divisions in German soccer returned to action amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Players can't be fined or banned for celebrating together.

Serie A extends suspension of season

The Serie A is suspended until June 14 unless the Italian government gives it the green light to resume a day earlier as planned.

The league announced last week that its 20 teams agreed to resume competition on June 13 in empty stadiums.

However, the Italian soccer federation announced on Monday, a day after a government decree banning sports until June 14, that it was complying.

The FIGC announced that "pending any further and desirable decision by the competent authority" its competitions will remain suspended until that date.

Serie A has been off since March 9, when the government ordered a nationwide lockdown.

There are 12 rounds remaining in Serie A, plus four matches that were postponed in the 25th round. Also, the Italian Cup is in the semifinal stage.