The jab: where do teams stand? Williamson ‘all good’ ahead of T20 World Cup, India tour
With the Government calling on every remaining eligible New Zealander to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated today, sports reporter Adrian Seconi asked the region’s prominent sports teams what percentage of their players and staff were vaccinated, an
LET’S start here.
There are three of us in the Otago Daily Times sport department and we have had five jabs between us.
It would have been six but our editor had to reschedule as he was unwell the day he was due to get his first shot. He will join the fully vaccinated very soon, so we count him as a moral victory.
We have declared our position, but most sports teams we cover are unable to be as transparent.
But while there has been some ducking and weaving around privacy issues, there remains a genuine commitment to encouraging everyone in their organisation to get vaccinated.
We asked our region’s major sporting teams what percentage of their players and staff had been vaccinated and whether they were encouraging or demanding people to be vaccinated.
Otago Rugby Football Union general manager Richard Kinley said he had difficulty answering the questions ‘‘as at this stage it is not mandatory for staff and players to be vaccinated and also they are not required to advise if they have been vaccinated’’.
‘‘We are certainly encouraging everyone to be vaccinated and will be pushing the same message through our social media channels this weekend.’’
Kinley pointed the Otago Daily
towards a response from New Zealand Rugby to a similar set of questions.
‘‘Any Covid19 vaccination information that is collected by the provincial union needs to be stored securely in a password protected location, to protect the personal health information of that individual.
‘‘However, in time NZR may want some assurance from Provincial Unions that their players have been vaccinated.
‘‘This is because if any player is selected for Super Rugby Pacific or any of our national teams in Black, we would want to know those players have been fully vaccinated before they travel overseas.
‘‘In those situations, proof of vaccination status will need to be provided.’’
The Highlanders were constrained by the same privacy concerns, but chief executive Roger Clark said as a sporting organisation ‘‘we encourage everyone including our staff, players and fans to take the opportunity — if they haven’t already — to get vaccinated this Super Saturday’’.
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Mike Coggan was on annual leave and unable to respond by our deadline.
Football South was encouraging staff, players and the wider community to get vaccinated.
But ‘‘with respect to the privacy of our staff and players, we do not wish to disclose a percentage of staff and player vaccination rates,’’ it stated.
Netball South chief executive Lana Winders said the organisation supported vaccinations.
“We are following Government advice with regards to what that means in terms of the workplace and community sport,’’ Winders said.
‘‘We will continue to work closely with Netball New Zealand and Sport New Zealand around the latest health advice leading into the 2022 ANZ
Premiership season.
“As an organisation, we are actively encouraging vaccination in line with Government health advice to the support the wellbeing of all employees and their families.
‘‘However, the disclosure of medical information and vaccine status was an individual’s choice.’’
The Dunedin Thunder was more forthcoming.
The team’s marketing manager Megan Kliegl said an initial survey suggested ‘‘60% of the athletes are fully vaccinated, and 30% awaiting their second dose’’.
‘‘A few athletes have not completed the survey or have stated they do not wish to share this information at this stage.
‘‘Staff surveys indicate that 80% have had either had 1 or 2 doses with the remaining 20% not completing the survey.
‘‘As we are now out of season, our athletes are released. . . more discussion about vaccinations will take place early 2022.
‘‘But we are encouraging our athletes to get vaccinated and are happy with survey results.’’
Nuggets general manager Angela Ruske said the franchise did not have a specific policy in place and would take its lead from the National Basketball League. However, it was supportive of vaccination.
‘‘With regard to players — my understanding is that the 2021 team all got [vaccinated] at the beginning of this season.
‘‘I haven’t specifically heard back from Geremy [McKay] or Isaiah [Moss] to know if that included them but I believe it did.’’
WELLINGTON: Black Caps captain Kane Williamson has dismissed his hamstring injury as minor and his troublesome elbow is also improving ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Williamson missed Hyderabad’s final match of the Indian Premier League due to injury before joining up with the Black Caps in the UAE.
‘‘The hamstring is minor. It’s progressing nicely so not too many concerns and we’ve still got plenty of time,’’ Williamson told media.
‘‘I’m taking basically full part in training so it’s all good.’’
Williamson’s elbow injury has been a different story.
It has been troubling him since February, when he was revealed to have a small tear in his left elbow tendon, and saw him miss the oneday series at home against Bangladesh, the start of the Indian Premier League season and the second test against England at Edgbaston.
‘‘The elbow has been a bit of a slow burner.
‘‘It has been quite frustrating for a long period of time, however it has definitely improved a bit with the two months or so that I had after the World Test Championship on rehab.
‘‘It seems to have definitely moved forward, which is refreshing, but still a little bit of time to go to put into it to get it back to 100% but it’s definitely better.’’
He says he feels discomfort when ‘‘gripping and then extending which you do a lot of obviously, batting’’.
‘‘The harder you grip and the further you extend the more it seems to be quite disruptive.
‘‘There’s been a lot of improvement over the last three months, which is good [as] it’s really been the focus.
‘‘Sort of now at the stage where I’m largely able to get through with some comfort and it’s nice to be able to focus a bit more on the cricketing side of things rather than having constant negotiations with physios.’’
Williamson acknowledges his elbow still needs to be managed, but he intends to take a ‘‘full part’’ in the tournament.
He will then lead the Black Caps on a tour of India and will finally return home until shortly before Christ
❛ It’s always tough having different stints away, especially when family’s involved but they’re very supportive so I’m very fortunate for that.
mas.
He left New Zealand in late March.
‘‘It has been a long time.
‘‘I was very fortunate to have the family with me here for the IPL leg and obviously spent a number of months in the UK, where my wife is from.
‘‘We set out trying to make a bit of a plan with the 10 months that we were going to be away and half expecting it to go to plan.
‘‘So far it’s kind of gone OK, but naturally there are a lot of challenges.
‘‘It’s always tough having different stints away, especially when family’s involved but they’re very supportive so I’m very fortunate for that.’’
Williamson says his wife and oneyearold daughter have return flights home and it’s ‘‘looking likely that we’ll all be back together’’ at the end of the year. — RNZ