Bucking bull event goes ahead in US amid coronavirus-induced restrictions

A bucking bull event took place in an empty arena in the United States on Sunday with cowboys in facemasks clinging onto 1,500-pound (680.39 kg) bulls while most professional sports remained on coronavirus lockdown.

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competition kicked off on Saturday.

The event comes amid widespread questions over when and how major North American professional sports leagues could re-start, as lockdown measures remain in place for millions across the country.

Members of the safety crew wrangled errant bulls while wearing masks in Guthrie, Oklahoma's Lazy E Arena, as riders swapped their protective headgear for face coverings after completing rides in the two-day PBR Las Vegas Invitational.

Stands were empty due to social distancing guidelines for what would otherwise have been a rowdy affair featuring American and Brazilian competitors and leading bulls such as 'Fearless', 'Two Socks' and 'Skeeter Peter' after a 41-day hiatus.

US President Donald Trump's leading infectious disease advisor said earlier this month that sports could potentially resume in empty stadiums.

PBR CEO Sean Gleason oversaw an event that would have scarcely seemed possible a month ago when sport was put on hold.

"Some might ask, 'Why buck bulls during a pandemic?'," Gleason tweeted on Saturday.

Every person involved in the event was housed on the Lazy E grounds.

The UShas recorded 9,39,991 novel coronavirus cases with 53,822 deaths.

(with inputs from Reuters)