By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow center Nikola Milutinov, guard Janis Strelnieks and forward Semen Antonov tested positive for COVID-19, the Russian club announced. They are the first EuroLeague players who test positive for coronavirus after the 2020-21 season started Thursday (1/10).
The three players, who underwent their tests Friday (2/10), have been isolated from the rest of the team, pending further confirmation and verification of the results.
The news arrives some hours after Barcelona, that faced CSKA Moscow in the 2020-21 EuroLeague’s opening day Thursday, announced that head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and assistant coach Darius Maskoliunas both tested positive or coronavirus. Milutinov (illness) and Strelnieks (hip) were absent, having stayed in Russia while Antonov didn’t play a second.
CSKA is facing Lokomotiv Kuban Sunday for VTB League and then will be playing against Maccabi Tel Aviv at home for Round 2 of the EuroLeague regular season Thursday (8/10). According to EuroLeague’s health protocols, all matches are taking place as planned unless a team has less than eight players available to participate due to coronavirus-related reasons. Then this team will lose the game 0-20.
Ιf a team has less than eight players available to participate due to coronavirus-related reasons and injuries, then the game is postponed.