Seoul (AFP)

The South Korean baseball season begins on Tuesday with five matches behind closed doors which augur of a much awaited progressive resumption of professional sport in this country which was a few months ago one of the first centers of coronavirus, for the largest pleasure of viewers in need of "direct" around the world.

Footballers will kick off the K-League, the professional championship, on Friday before some of South Korea’s top female golfers compete next week.

No spectator will be admitted to the stands of the five precincts which will host the first matches of the South Korean baseball federation (KBO) on Tuesday, whose professional season should have started on March 28.

Drastic sanitary measures have also been imposed on players, who will be required to wear a face mask at all times, except on the field and on the bench. All will have to undergo two temperature checks before the match.

The federation has also prohibited them from shaking hands or exchanging "high five" (slaps in the palm of the hand) and any spitting is strictly prohibited.

Less harm for fans of the most popular sport in South Korea, whose recovery can be followed far beyond the coast of the peninsula.

The American sports channel ESPN has announced that it will now broadcast six KBO matches each week, to the delight of American baseball fans completely deprived of live matches in the United States because of the coronavirus.

South Korea was one of the first countries heavily infected with the disease, outside of its Chinese home. At the end of February, it was the second most affected country in the world.

But Seoul has managed to reverse the contamination curve with an aggressive strategy of testing everyone who comes in contact with cases of the disease. She announced on Tuesday three new cases, bringing her total to 10,804 for 252 deaths.

- K-League entry shock -

The K-League, which should have started on February 29, will finally start on Friday with the clash between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, triple defending champion, and Suwon Bluewings, winner of the FA Cup in 2019.

A sign of the desire, abroad, to reconnect with live broadcasts, broadcasters from ten countries have bought the rights to the K-League.

South Korea will also next week be the first country to again authorize professional women's golf after the Covid-19 crisis.

Global women's golf is dominated by the South Koreans, who have eight players in the Top 20, including number one Ko Jin-young.

The South Korean Women's Federation (KLPGA) Championship will kick off on May 14 in Yangju, east of Seoul, with 144 golfers on the greens, including world number six Kim Sei-young, and number 10 Lee Jeong- eun.

© 2020 AFP