Professional sport could return behind closed doors in a matter of weeks if conditions allow for the UK coronavirus lockdown to be eased to a degree.
Here, the PA news agency addresses the state of play and the obstacles still to be overcome.
Who are the key players in the discussions?
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and its Secretary of State Oliver Dowden, are leading the talks, which are understood to be quickening in pace.
Starting this week, medical officials from the major sports governing bodies will convene on a weekly basis alongside officials from Public Health England in meetings overseen by DCMS. The Premier League's medical advisor Mark Gillett and the Football Association's head of medicine Charlotte Cowie are among those due to be involved, the PA news agency understands.
What will they be looking at?
The first issue to address is how professional sports teams and competitors can safely return to training. How training can be squared with restrictions on social distancing – which will remain in place in wider society even if the strictest lockdown conditions are lifted – must be addressed.
Speaking last week at a DCMS committee evidence session, Dowden said this was "not insurmountable" but was certainly an extra consideration to bear in mind.
What else must they consider?
This looks unlikely to happen any time soon. England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has stated that social distancing measures are likely to be in place for the rest of 2020 at least, with a vaccine the best hope for being able to return to anything like normal life.
