Allowing the Tour de France to go ahead as scheduled despite the COVID-19 pandemic would be "madness" and a "crime against humanity," former French sports minister David Douillet said.
The outbreak has decimated the global sporting calendar and the Tour de France — which takes place in June and July — is one of the last major global sporting events that hasn't been canceled or postponed.
French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said on Twitter last month that it was too soon to decide if the Tour should be canceled, but that if the race did go ahead it might be held without roadside spectators to minimize the risk of infection.