Champions League ties to go ahead

THIS week’s Champions League semi-final first legs will go ahead as scheduled despite the current restriction on European air travel due to the volcanic ash cloud.

UEFA say tomorrow’s first semi between Inter Milan and Barcelona, and Wednesday’s clash between Bayern Munich and Lyon would be unaffected by the Icelandic eruption which has led to the grounding of planes across northern Europe.

European football’s governing body also revealed a decision would be taken “in the coming days” about whether Thursday’s Europa League semi-finals between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, and Hamburg and Fulham would go ahead as planned.

Reigning European and Spanish champions Barcelona confirmed they will be travelling to Italy by coach for the game with Jose Mourinho’s Inter.

Lyon will also travel by road to face Bayern at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Newcastle have also been forced to make the 400-mile journey to Plymouth for tonight’s Coca-Cola Championship clash by coach.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has no doubts the Spanish Grand Prix will go ahead as scheduled despite teams fearing their preparations could be hampered – though next weekend’s MotoGP race at Motegi in Japan is likely to be postponed until October.

Concerns were spreading that there could be problems getting cars and equipment back.

Should the disruptions continue for the rest of the week, it could mean some teams will struggle to get their cars ready for the race in Barcelona on May 9.

England are likely to be the worst-affected of teams set to travel to the Caribbean for cricket’s ICC World Twenty20 next weekend.

Ireland are already in the Caribbean along with Zimbabwe, having travelled earlier this month for a series of one-day international and warm-up matches.

England are due to leave next Sunday, with two warm-up matches planned in Barbados, before they begin their campaign in Guyana.

The Tipperary senior hurling squad have been forced to cancel this week’s planned warm-weather training camp in Spain.

Tipperary were due to fly out from Dublin Airport this morning but were informed yesterday morning that their flight had been cancelled and thus opted to ditch their plans to travel abroad for the training camp.

Instead it is expected that last year’s All-Ireland finalists will instead conduct a training camp in Ireland with Carton House in Kildare mooted as a possible replacement venue.

The Irish senior women’s hockey team are awaiting news of when they can compete in their upcoming World Cup qualification campaign in Chile.

Gene Muller’s side were due to fly from Dublin to Santiago via Paris yesterday, ahead of beginning their campaign in South America on Saturday.

But the players will today return home following training, after learning it will be Friday at the earliest before they can leave.

With Scotland and Malaysia also stranded, it leaves the International Hockey Federation (FIH) with a major organisational headache.

The Irish women’s tennis team may have to make do with just two players in this week’s Fed Cup competition in Egypt.

Four Irish players were originally selected for the Europe-Africa Zone Group Three eight-country event which takes place in Cairo from Wednesday to Saturday.

But Cork’s Niamh Coveney and Co Antrim’s Lynsey McCullough, along with team boss Garry Cahill and coach Conor Taylor, have no chance of getting out of Dublin until 1pm today at the earliest.

The other two team members, Australia-born debutant Julia Moriarty and Greystones’ Amy Bowtell, are already in Cairo.

Elsewhere, the Moroccan Golf Classic, due to be played at the Pullman Magadan Royal Golf and Spa from April 21-24, has been postponed.

The Ballantine’s Championship in Korea on the full PGA European Tour is unlikely to be affected, though, with the majority of players already in Asia after the Volvo China Open.

The final leg of the Diving World Series, due to be staged in Sheffield this week, has also fallen victim – with the event now being held in Veracruz, Mexico.