Texas school events halted by swine flu

Texas officials on Wednesday postponed all public high school athletic and academic competitions until May 11 because of the swine flu outbreak.

The move suspends the baseball and softball seasons and eliminates the regional track championships that were to start Friday, said Charles Breithaupt, executive director of the University Interscholastic League. He said league officials acted on the recommendation of public health officials.

"The health and safety of our student activity participants is of the utmost importance," Breithaupt said.

School officials say 53,000 students are out of school because of concern over the virus, and dozens of schools were closed to be sanitized.

Also, the Nationwide Tour postponed the Mexico Open golf tournament scheduled for May 21 to 24 because of the swine flu outbreak.

The Mexico Open was to be played in Leon, about 200 miles northwest of Mexico City.

The event will be rescheduled later in the year.