US sports postponed as wildfires rage
A string of sports events and practices have been postponed as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast regions of the United States.
In the United States, more than 60 million people are under air quality warnings as wildfire smoke shrouds major US cities, with the National Women s Soccer League NWSL and Major League Baseball MLB all forced to postpone games due to concerns over dangerous air quality.
The MLB said on Wednesday that two games between the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park were postponed due to medical and weather expert warnings about clearing hazardous air quality conditions in both cities.
The WNBA has been unable to postpone Wednesday s game between the New York Liberty and the Minneapolis Lynx due to smoke impacting the Liberty s home arena, with the league noting that information about the rescheduling of the game would be provided at a later date.
The NYRA canceled Thursday training at Belmont Park due to bad air quality conditions affecting New York State, while the NWSL postponed Wednesday night's Challenge Cup game in Harrison and rescheduled it for August 9.
Our security is our top priority, as we prioritize the safety of our players, officials, and fans. Following consultation with the NWSL Medical and Operations staff, it was determined that the match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index, the NWSL said in a statement.
Smoke from Canada's fires has periodically affected the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, raising concerns over the harms of persistent poor air quality.
More than 9 million acres have been charred in Canada so far this year, about 15 times the normal burned area for this point in the year, and more than 10,500 people have been evacuated from communities across Alberta.
The game will begin at 6:05 p.m. ET, according to the MLB. ET on Thursday, while the Yankees and the White Sox will now play a doubleheader beginning at 4:05 p.m. On Thursday, the AP reported a dramatic increase in activity on the nation's stock market.
The Belmont Stakes is scheduled for Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, and the NYRA has announced that a decision on Thursday's live racing program will be made in the morning following a review of the air quality conditions and forecast.