Education
How the 2019 Coronavirus has Affected the Sports Industry
The coronavirus is now declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Currently, there are now over 140,000 cases related to this. The virus has also caused over 5,000 fatalities. It has already spread to over 100 countries.
It’s definitely become a problem around the world and it also affects many industries. The sports industry is greatly affected by this too. Many sports events have already been canceled. March has always been a great month for many sports fans but for now, it’s become the month of the virus.
Major leagues from around the world have already made the necessary changes to help lessen the spread of the virus. From the NBA, the NHL, the IPL, to the EPL, here are the updates that sports fans should know about.
The NBA
The National Basketball Association abruptly announced the suspension of the rest of its season this week. This is after it was found that one of the players of Utah Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. This happened just moments before a game began in Oklahoma City.
At first, the NBA was trying to avoid the suspension by only advising its players to avoid handshakes, giving the fans high fives and signing autographs with borrowed pens and markers. However, the confirmed case within the league changed things completely. The indefinite suspension of the basketball games within the NBA has started on March 12.
The Indian Premier League
After weeks of waiting whether the IPL will be canceled or not, the Board of Cricket Control in India or BCCI has finally made an announcement about this. The IPL will still push through but instead of it starting on March 29, it will begin on April 15.
This announcement was reported on Cricket-Betting.in tips after New Delhi and Mumbai have already banned large gatherings for any sporting events. Even the two remaining one-day cricket internationals in India has been called off. People are also saying anyway that even if the I-PL pushes through on the 29th, people will most likely stay away from the stadium.
The Major League Baseball
The MLB has already suspended the spring training indefinitely. The start of the season will also be delayed for at least two weeks. Instead of March 26, the opening day will happen on April 9. This is the earliest date, and so it’s possible that it will still happen later than April 9.
According to the MLB, “MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.
It also explained why these were necessary. “Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our players, employees, and fans. MLB will continue to undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts. We send our best wishes to all individuals and communities that have been impacted by coronavirus.”
The English Premier League
The EPL is also now suspended until April 4 because of the outbreak. The governing bodies for the leagues said in a statement, “Following a meeting of shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on April 4.”
The chief executive of the Premier League also talked about this. He said, “In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA, and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”
He added, “Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so.”
The rest of the soccer matches in England are now also canceled. It was also reported that Arsenal FC’s coach, Mikel Arteta, and Chelsea player Callum Hudson-Ohio were found positive of the 2019 coronavirus.
Three Leicester City players and one Everton FC member are all on self-isolation as they are reported to have symptoms of the virus.
The Masters
The officials of the Augusta National Golf Club have announced that The Masters will also be postponed. The PGA Tour, also announced that it was canceling several golf tournaments until the week of Masters, which is scheduled on April 9 to 12.
The Masters organizers said in a statement, “We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters tournament and our amateur events at some later date.”
Education
Scaler appoints new heads for its online and offline businesses
Amar Srivastava becomes chief executive of the online business and group chief product officer; Vidit Jain takes charge of the offline schools
BENGALURU: Scaler is shuffling its top deck as the AI skilling race heats up. The Bengaluru-based tech education company has elevated two senior executives to lead its online and offline businesses, signalling a sharper push into an AI-driven market.
Amar Srivastava, previously senior vice president for product and business, has been appointed chief executive of the online business and group chief product officer. Vidit Jain has been elevated to senior vice president and head of Scaler School, taking charge of the company’s offline education units, the Scaler School of Business and the Scaler School of Technology.
The company has also recently appointed Ratnakar Reddy as head of enterprise for India and the Middle East and North Africa, with a brief to drive partnerships with governments and enterprises for AI-led skilling programmes.
Abhimanyu Saxena, co-founder of Scaler, said the promotions reflect the company’s confidence in both leaders and the direction it is heading. “Amar and Vidit have been central to Scaler’s journey, and their elevations reflect our conviction in their leadership and the direction we are shaping as a company,” he said. “With leadership now in place across the business, we remain focused on building engineers the world’s best companies want to hire. In an AI-first economy, that mission is more urgent and more achievable than ever. Our next chapter is centred on building an AI-native workforce from India, equipped to compete in a technology-driven global economy.”
Srivastava brings over a decade of experience building education-focused ventures. He previously founded Intellify and was part of the early team at Doubtnut. At Scaler, he will lead the online business with a focus on growth, profitability and expansion into new segments, while strengthening the product ecosystem across the group. He is blunt about what the AI economy actually needs. “The AI economy does not have a shortage of tools. It has a shortage of engineers who can think clearly, build reliably, and keep learning as the ground shifts. That is what we are building toward,” he said.
Jain brings more than 15 years of experience across startups and consulting, including stints at MPL and McKinsey and Company. He will oversee growth and profitability of Scaler’s offline business. His priorities are immediate and unambiguous. “The offline experience is where depth gets built, and that depth is critical in the AI era. Over the next 12 months, our focus will be on consistent growth, stronger unit economics, and delivering outcomes for students while building long-term employer partnerships,” he said.
Founded in 2019, Scaler is valued at $710 million and backed by Peak XV Partners, Tiger Global and Lightrock India. Its parent firm, InterviewBit, has featured on the Financial Times’ Asia Pacific High Growth Companies rankings every year from 2021 to 2025. On average, Scaler’s learners see a 4.5x return on investment and a salary increase of around 126 per cent.
With leadership locked in across every business unit, Scaler is betting that the next wave of global tech hiring will be won or lost on the quality of engineers coming out of India. It is a big bet. But the numbers, and the promotions, suggest the company is in no mood to hedge.
