The decision was announced by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) on the afternoon of March 9, Rome time.
This is the result after an emergency meeting between President Giovanni Malago and CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati.
Epidemiology staff disinfected a soccer field in Serie A on March 9, while waiting for CONI’s decision to stop all sports activities.
Immediately after agreeing to stop sports activities, Malago met with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora to report.
`There is no time left, the numbers of infected people, deaths and intensive care units are increasing rapidly. We have to change our habits, we have to make some sacrifices for the good of all of Italy.
By the end of March 9, Italy recorded an additional 1,492 positive cases of nCoV, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 7,985, becoming the third largest Covid-19 outbreak in the world, after mainland China and Korea.
The country’s government has imposed a blockade, prohibiting people from coming or leaving the epidemic epicenter of Lombardy as well as 11 provinces in the Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Piedmont and Marche regions to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.
Before stopping sports activities, Italy closed all schools nationwide.