Sporting events are making a comeback in the world, right from cricket, Olympics, football and racing but the coronavirus new wave threatens to derail everything all over again.
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July and August are exceptional months when it comes to sporting events all over the world. There is Euro 2020 final in Wembley. There is a Formula One Grand Prix in Silverstone. In cricket, there is India’s tour of Sri Lanka and the five-Test series in England. On top of all that, there is the Olympics in Tokyo. It is a time to rejoice, right? It is a time to be scared. Sporting extravaganzas are necessary. But, if they are not managed well in these coronavirus times, it could result in disaster.
There are many nations that continue to fight the pandemic with determination. But, there are a couple of factors that might derail their entire work. Let us look at some of the factors that might prove to be a massive coronavirus bomb in the new delta wave of infections.
Japan will host the Tokyo Olympics after being delayed by one year due to the pandemic. One year, the situation has not changed. Japan is battling a new wave, with close to 2300 cases in the last 24 hours. The IOC has announced that there will be no fans at all the venues. Thus, the Olympics will lose close to a hundred million dollars. Yet, the entire games were not cancelled. Despite public opinion veering close to the point of calling for the games to be cancelled, the organisers have decided to play behind closed doors.
They reckoned that a loss of USD 3 to 4 billion would not be feasible. NBC are the official Olympic broadcasters and they face a challenge. No fans eliminates a key component of live sports broadcasts and could give the competitions an eerie feel. NBC are disappointed that there are no fans. Afterall, wherever you can get money from, if one or two avenues close it is disappointing.
The United Kingdom represents a worrying trend. There are over 35000 cases in the last 24 hours in the country. The delta variant is spreading rapidly. But, the United Kingdom does not see that as a threat. In fact, they have allowed fans to attend en masse for the Euro final on Sunday and the British Grand Prix on July 18.
Silverstone has a capacity of 150,000 while Wembley is close to 90,000. A total of 250,000 fans will be in attendance across all the United Kingdom. On top of that, the cricket series against Pakistan and India has been thrown open to full capacity at all the venues.
Now, imagine the delta plus variant is on the surge in the UK. You have opened football, racing and cricket stadiums to full capacity. The chances of someone catching COVID-19 and spreading it increases. Can one imagine if England win Euro 2020 on Sunday? The celebrations will be massive. You can bet that there will be zero social distancing. It is ideal for the coronavirus to barge and spread like wildfire.
It seems like sports is caught in a vicious cycle when it comes to the coronavirus. Play you are damned. Not play it, you are still damned. People have gotten fed up of being behind closed doors. They want proper sports action. But, at a time when the delta variant is causing so much havoc, it is worth thinking about priorities.
India should know it better. When the pandemic was at its peak in April and May, the IPL 2021 was held. Because the bubble was not enforced properly, the coronavirus could breach the bubble. Now, England will be playing Pakistan and India in different venues. This means various bio-bubble measures. But, when the UK has decided that there is no more bubble, why has it given an open invitation for the coronavirus to create havoc?
In these circumstances, imagine in the middle of a Test match, players of England and India test positive. How will one handle the situation? Replacements? Go into total isolation? Test match postponed or cancelled? Has the ICC, ECB and the BCCI even had the foresight to address this? Testing is fine. Multiple testing is brilliant. But, in the middle of the match or the series, if one player contracts COVID-19, what happens? I guess we will have to find out when it happens.
The coronavirus can be defeated by vigilance and discipline. If one goes by the logic of the United Kingdom that one has to live with the coronavirus, it is a defeatist attitude that might very well change the world for all the wrong reasons.
