A risky call, but it’s time to open the lid on sport

Who would have thought fans would long for the day they could watch sport in empty stadiums on TV? It’s a soulless environment for the players and distant supporters, but this could be the new normal in the era of Covid-19. Broadcasters and league owners will be the main beneficiaries of these matches — whether it’s soccer, rugby or any other code — and hopefully authorities will demand they take the strictest care to ensure the health of players, match officials and TV crews. Rigorous testing should be done. Who knows how long we’ll be in lockdown, and whether there will be a vaccine to end this pandemic swiftly.

The reality is it could drag on for a while, and the sooner we adapt to that reality and try to adapt our ways, the better.

Sport behind closed doors is an option that has to be explored. Players need to earn money, and TV crews and even we print journalists would love to get back to covering live sport. We just don’t want to create adverse health risks.

Dropping down to level 4 in recent weeks has shown, sadly, that people are not prepared to play by the rules. There has been no shortage of cyclists and joggers who have refused to wear masks.

For those of us who wear glasses, the masks cause spectacles to mist up, which is problematic for cyclists whizzing around at potentially high speeds. However they might justify it to themselves, personal comfort cannot be allowed to trump the wellbeing of community and society. The Comrades Marathon Association decided to cancel the 2020 edition of their iconic race, but the Durban July organisers are hopeful theirs can continue, as a broadcast-only event.

Staging a mass event like the Comrades before the end of September when, according to some experts, we might see a spike in Covid-19, seemed like a lost cause. The July gives the horse-racing industry, and fans, some hope. So too would soccer and rugby matches. It’s been over 50 days and it seems about time to open the lid, just a little bit.

It’s a risk that offers us reward. Risk and reward, or play it safe? It’s a tough call.