Virus keeps on delivering KO punches

@wesbotton

As much as we may becoming accustomed to things being cancelled, as the end of this pandemic seems to fade further into the abyss of time, there are some events which highlight the gravity of what we’re facing.

Yesterday, all the July Tests were postponed by World Rugby, while the Olympic Games has already been delayed by at least a year.

And while some leagues around the world have been relaunched, most remain locked down, and the situation in SA isn’t looking great.

This week, the country’s oldest road race was cancelled, and when an event which is cemented into the fixtures list is called off, it’s a stark reminder of our joint dilemma.

The Comrades Marathon, which was started in memory of soldiers who had fallen in World War I, was held every year between 1921 and 1940.

And while it was called off between 1941 and 1945 due to World War II, it had been held for 74 consecutive years between 1946 and 2019.

So the race has become an institution of South African sport.

It remains such a popular event that most races during the domestic road running season are structured around and held within the Comrades qualifying period, and with the calendar generally drying up for a few months after the race, the cancellation leaves a gaping hole in the national fixtures list.

There are some road running races which could still take place later this year, including the Cape Town and Soweto marathons, but if Comrades couldn’t take a coronavirus punch, other events are going to find it even harder to shield themselves from the blow.

It’s one thing to have international Test matches postponed, with borders remaining largely shut, but when major events are scratched within our own borders, it suggests that smaller events with fewer resources are in even more danger.

If Comrades can’t stand firm this year, other races might not survive at all, and when sport eventually resumes, we may be left with a skeleton calendar.

It seems we might even be looking well beyond 2021 before we see full fixtures lists again, and the long-term casualties from Covid-19 remain unclear.

But with the country’s largest events being scratched, and their respective codes crumbling around them, it might be safe to assume that the effects could be felt for some time to come.