Patience is a virtue, sports fans
SLOWLY but surely, sport is beginning to form part of the international landscape again.
The German Bundesliga got the ball rolling, so to speak, and there will be further major developments over the next week or so.
This weekend sees the first tournament on the lucrative PGA golf tour and the start of the New Zealand Super Rugby competition, while English soccer fans need no reminding that the EPL kicks off next week.
In South Africa, as indeed around the world, many sporting fans will be watching the New Zealand rugby competition with a mixture of admiration and envy.
With most of the Covid-19 restrictions having been lifted in New Zealand, the tournament featuring the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Blues, Chiefs and Highlanders will be the first major sporting event to be played in front of fans. (The golf and English soccer will be behind closed doors).
Here at home, in terms of the “big three” sports, there is still no clarity on when soccer and rugby will resume. Cricket, as a non-contact sport, has been given the go-ahead to resume activities.
The South African soccer teams (and, of course the fans) are desperate to see the PSL season resume, as the title race between Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns is set for a thrilling finale.
As for rugby, there is talk of a revamped competition featuring the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions once the green light is switched on.
But the reality is that South African sports fans will just have to be patient. We have been warned that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic may well still be ahead of us.
These are difficult times for all citizens. We understand that South Africans are yearning for some local sport again. We also understand that sport will be a wonderful tonic to lift the spirits of all our people.
But caution has to be the watchword, and it is good to see that soccer and rugby administrators seem to be in agreement about that, despite their obvious frustrations. We can surely all agree that our health is our most priceless asset.