Cheerless Autumn looms for Australian sport amid coronavirus clampdown

Formula One F1 - Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia - March 13, 2020 General view of merchandise tents after it was announced the Australian Grand Prix would be cancelled after a McLaren team member tested positive for coronavirus REUTERS/Loren Elliott

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Passionate crowds at sports events are part of the fabric of life in Australia but stringent measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus will mean few cheers at the nation's stadiums in coming weeks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged people to avoid gathering in groups of more than 500 on Friday, just five days after 86,000 packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Women's Twenty20 World Cup final, a record for a women's sporting event in the country.