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A general view of Stage 21 of Le Tour last year. PA Wire

Tour de France may go ahead without spectators as decision yet to be made

‘Everything is imaginable,’ the French sports minister said of Le Tour.

FRENCH SPORTS MINSTER Roxana Maracineanusays says this year’s Tour de France could be staged without spectators in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The French government is in talks with Tour organisers about the future of the 27 June-19 July edition of world cycling’s top event which draws more than 10 millions fans annually to the roads of France.

All options are being considered including postponement or cancellation of the event which has been raced every year in peacetime since 1903, the minister said.

“Everything is imaginable. We have [imposed spectator bans] for other competitions before, even though it won’t have the same impact because the business model of the Tour doesn’t depend on ticket sales like football or rugby,” she told France Bleu radio station on Wednesday.

The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and the Euro 2020 football championships has focused attention on the Tour which winds its way for thousands of miles through the towns and villages of France in a wide loop for three weeks ending on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

“I think that today everybody is aware and responsible about the period of isolation we are going through and everyone knows the reasons and the benefits that it can bring to all,” she said.

“So finally it wouldn’t be so bad because you could still watch it on TV.”

© – AFP, 2020 

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    Mute paddy
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    Aug 13th 2018, 8:14 PM

    Dont understand the hate for Tyrone, suppose it comes from the analysis of the likes of spillane, O Rourke and brolly and then everyone adopts it as their opinion that Tyrone are ruining the game. Football was never pretty, and it’s even more evident now with hurling being so good, Eir sport shows a lot of past all Ireland finals and so called classic games, makes for some interesting viewing, Meath were a shower of thugs, spillane/kerry forwards spent most of the ’86 final in their own half (blanket), brolly was anonymous in the 93 final, but overall long kicks down the pitch with ball retention abysmal wasnt a joy to watch, which this era was all about. I think Dublin will win but at the same time Tyrone are worthy of being there in the final.

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    Mute IrishOwl
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    Aug 13th 2018, 8:46 PM

    @paddy: Spot on.

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    Mute James o Dwyer
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    Aug 14th 2018, 12:47 AM

    @paddy: yay

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    Mute Conor Kilgallon
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    Aug 14th 2018, 12:49 AM

    @paddy: Paddy from Tyrone, Meath in the eighties and nineties had individual players far more talented than this Tyrone team. Brian Stafford, Colm O’Rourke, Martin OConnell, Graham Geraghty, Trevor Giles. Tyrone 2018 play to a system fundamentally built upon fear. There’s nothing honourable about their game.

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    Mute paddy
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    Aug 14th 2018, 9:21 AM

    @Conor Kilgallon: actually a clare man, with more interest in hurling. Funny how people like loughnane and Ring can be honourable and say there’s great players now but there’s better to come, 95 was a great year for us but looks like junior B stuff now. That Meath team would be thrashed by the current Tyrone team just like cork and roscommon, the current Dublin team are better than any other football team to come out of kerry or anywhere. But have a look these classic games, Dublin/kerry in thurles, dreadful stuff apart for the Maurice Fitzgerald kick at the end. Football is better now Conor my man, just because they kicked long and lined out in traditional formations doesn’t mean it was better to watch, Dublin/meath in 91 might have been exciting/close but the skill level was very poor.

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    Mute Tír Eoghain Gael
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    Aug 14th 2018, 10:28 AM

    @Conor Kilgallon: Cop yourself on, Conor. How is the Tyrone style built on fear? Their game plan involves conceeding kickouts and inviting teams on to them, and committing extra men to the tackle – two high risk strategies. You’re like a spoofer who has been listening to Spillane and co down the years and can’t form your own opinion in the here and now.

    As for your eulogy of the Meath team of the 90′s, the less said the better, but what I would say is the current Tyrone team would run rings around them, and they themselves knew a thing or two about playing with fear – the only game plan they had in the 1996 semi final v Tyrone, knowing that Tyrone were hot favorites, was to use sickening levels of violence to take Tyrone’s key men out of the game.

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    Mute John O Reilly
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    Aug 13th 2018, 5:53 PM

    The dream will be over quite soon

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    Mute Mel Roberts
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    Aug 13th 2018, 6:14 PM

    Some amount of hate for Tyrone on here. Cant wait for the usual Brit and taxes to the queen stuff

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    Mute Ronny Phelan
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    Aug 13th 2018, 6:18 PM

    @Mel Roberts: Mickey Harte will be an all-time legend if he can pull this off, hope he does it and it sticks forever in brollys craw, Tyrone abu, from a Wexford man

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    Mute jl
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    Aug 13th 2018, 5:46 PM

    I hope Dublin destroy them

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    Mute IrishOwl
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    Aug 13th 2018, 8:46 PM

    @jl: Why ?

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    Mute James o Dwyer
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    Aug 14th 2018, 12:28 AM

    Tt

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