Golf, tennis take the lead in tricity, others await more clarity
CHANDIGARH: Sports in the tricity is stirring awake from a two-month hibernation imposed to contain Covid, with golf and tennis taking first tentative steps in offering players some hope of returning to normalcy.
Chandigarh Golf Club was at the heart of activity today with as many as 160-170 golfers, wearing masks, teeing off and getting the first feel of the greens. The club saw stars including—Jeev Milkha Singh, Shubhankar Sharma and Karandeep Kochhar playing a round each.
On Wednesday, Zirakpurbased Roots Tennis Academy also opened its door to tournament groups and veteran players, following safety procedures . About 10 players came for their first session , wherein only singles practice was held, and everything including equipment was sanitised upon entering and exiting the court .
“Only two players per court are allowed, and must wear masks and maintain social distancing. We had a three tournament group players (above 18 years) and five veteran players. We have marked individual balls to serve and play for both players,” said Gaurav Chadha, the owner and coach who also runs other centres in the tricity.
Meanwhile, CGC also took all precaution for a safe round of golf, including masks and social distancing. “Today, we had full strength on the course, with all slots booked. Earlier, there used to be an eight-minute gap between two groups, but now we have increased it to 15 minutes for better social distancing,” says Sandeep Singh Sandhu (Bobby), CGC president. Sandhu added that all members have followed protocols. “Earlier, on busy day we had up to 500 golfers in a day, but now we will allow up to 170.”
“It’s odd to play while wearing a mask but let’s face reality and get used to it,” said Jeev, who teed off in a noon session.
Many other sports discipline centres have opted to wait for standard operating procedures (SOP) from the government or sports department before resuming operations. Total Tennis Academy, with many centres in the city, have decided to wait and watch through the week.
An optimistic Chadha said he was thinking of starting full sessions by June 1, with 12 players and 2-3 sessions a day.
Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) is hopeful of getting SOPs from both UT sports department and All India Tennis Association (AITA) and aspires to begin operating this weekend. “We could have things in place by this weekend. Needless to say, but safety of trainees and staff is of utmost importance to us,” said Megh Raj, the chief operating officer of CLTA.
Meanwhile, PU sports director Parminder Singh said, “We are working on the modalities of how to resume sports activities. In the coming days, we will release the SOP and gradually begin activities.”