The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Golf can cope with restrictions after lockdown is over, insists Eve Muirhead
It’s quite right that golf should be the first sport to return when lockdown starts to get eased – hopefully as early as next week.
I understood why there couldn’t be a special case made for it when the government put in place its measures a few weeks ago.
But golfers were managing to keep up social distancing before lockdown and they’ll do it successfully after.
Etiquette and abiding by rules is ingrained in the game and – if you take the clubhouse out of the equation – it also has in-built social distancing elements to it already.
You could quite comfortably be out on the course for four hours and keep two metres away from your playing partners. I’ve had a quick look at the new rules that are being set out.
It all seems sensible and obvious. No benches, bunker rakes and water fountains won’t cause any problems.
And the same goes for not touching the pin.
In fact, it will probably be easier to abide by the new dos and don’ts than some of the other existing rules of the game that make my head hurt!
More bad news
There had been a bit of a lull in curling for a while after this season was brought to an early end.
But there has now been some bad news for next season, with a major event on our schedule cancelled already.
The competition in Portage is one of the biggest below the Grand Slams and for us was going to be the middle week of a three-week trip to Canada in October.
The coronavirus has affected some parts of that country far worse than others so hopefully that’s not the first of many to be called off.
Entry forms are being sent out for a lot of European events so fingers crossed that’s a good sign.
The availability and cost of flights is something that is sure to be an issue, though, even if competitions are going ahead again in the autumn.
Height of madness?
Shauna Coxsey is the latest GB athlete to be confirmed for the Tokyo Olympics.
Nothing against Shauna or her sport but it doesn’t feel right to me that climbing is in the Olympics.
When you think of the likes of squash that would love to be part of the games, it just doesn’t seem fair.
When those of us who love all sorts of sports have to Google what one is, it says everything really. Maybe I’m getting stuck in my ways now that I’ve turned 30! I’ve read that not all leading climbers thought going into the Olympics was a good idea.
What I will say, though, is I will definitely try to find out more before next summer and when it’s on the TV, I’ll watch it. Who knows, maybe it will connect well with the viewing public and I’ll change my mind.
My main hope is that Shauna will actually get the chance to compete in the first place.
Hearing organisers say that if the coronavirus doesn’t allow 2021 to go ahead it would be cancelled completely sends a shiver down the spine.
For there to be an eight-year gap between Olympic Games really doesn’t bear thinking about.
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No benches, bunker rakes and water fountains won’t cause any problems