Be a good sport and just cancel
World co-ordination is a necessity to manage coronavirus as best we can, and sporting events need to play the game by these rules. It would be better for the world if everyone played off the same team sheet.
Every morning I wake up and the first thing I do is glance at the news headlines of the day; I’ve done this for many years. But 2020 has been dominated by the sledgehammer that is the coronavirus outbreak; no other news stories come close to the magnitude of content that is being reported on daily. The countering measures against the virus are updated everyday; for example at the time of writing Italy is under complete lockdown, schools are being closed in Ireland and a European wide ban is being enforced in the US. By the time this piece is published, the UK may find itself in a similar position.
Organisation is key to prevent the situation from worsening and getting further out of hand; we all need to work together. But the world of sport doesn’t seem to want to play the team game and work as one on a co-ordinated response. This just seems wrong.
It appears each sport and its governing body seems to have a different opinion or decision-making process to deal with coronavirus. Some sports are making changes to ensure the safety for spectators and participants quicker than others. Football, for example, is leading the charge with postponements of games, league suspensions and even going ahead with matches without fans in the stadiums. But it’s not enough, and these changes aren’t universal. Yesterday (11th March), the game between French team Paris St Germain and German side Borussia Dortmund was played behind closed doors, but that didn’t stop thousands of fans congregating outside the ground in close proximity. Even worse, at the same time in Liverpool, their game against Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid went ahead with the stadium full of fans. Where is the consistency?
There also seems to be some forward planning from football’s governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA. Again, this is a constantly moving situation but at the time of writing, the Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and US domestic football leagues have all been suspended for an indefinite period of time. On the international stage, the European football championships due to take place this summer are likely to be cancelled, whilst upcoming friendly matches will most likely be postponed too.
Let’s look at another sport; Formula 1. In mid February, the governing body the FIA moved to ‘postpone’ the Chinese Grand Prix quickly, showing just how dangerous Shanghai could be for the 4000 or so team members in the F1 circus. But fast forward two months, with the situation spiralling out of control, and against all advice, the teams arrive in Melbourne for the opening race. Again, where is the consistency? The decision to go ahead with the race had proven to be a poor one before the on-track action even got underway; a team member from the McLaren team tested positive for the virus on Thursday. The team decided to withdraw from the event, meaning that the GP was eventually cancelled, or in FIA speak ‘postponed indefinitely’.
F1 through its decision to try and go ahead with the season opening race, clearly as an act of strength against coronavirus, has ended up-being a costly misjudgement. It’s left egg on the faces of the people at the top, and it could have all been avoided.
But for me, the need for uniformity in sporting decision making is totally undermined by the continuation of the Cheltenham festival this week. This to me seems like a massive two finger salute directed towards the rest of the UK, and indeed the globe, when it comes to sport cancellations. Pictures of the crowds in the stands at Cheltenham have been circulating over social media and various news channels, met mostly with disgust and anger. But the fact that it has been allowed to continue whilst other events and sports are being cancelled on a daily, almost hourly basis, just seems so wrong.
Let’s put this into perspective; during the week that the Cheltenham festival has gone ahead, countless sporting events have been called off. The Masters Golf Tournament, Six Nations Rugby games involving Italy, Formula E racing, the NBA and the Indian Wells tennis tournament have all been called off at the same time thousands of spectators have crammed together at the horse racing. Five different disciplines all moving forward as on; playing the team game. It’s as if Cheltenham’s organisers are going against the tide and acting in solidarity against the moves of other sports.
There is clear scientific evidence behind the decisions to call off these sporting spectacles; it isn’t a decision taken lightly. No one wants to see the postponing of sports events that bring joy to the thousands at the events but also the millions watching on television at home. The financial implications can also not be overlooked either; broadcasters won’t want to pay the enormous fees they pay to show these sporting events, if there isn’t a show to air! We also can’t forget the individual fans themselves. Many will have pre-bought tickets to many of the now cancelled events, as well as potential travel costs for European events. Who foots the bill for those who aren’t getting the experiences they paid for? These are just a handful of the issues sport governing bodies have to juggle; but the fact that these decisions have still been made really highlights the severity of the coronavirus outbreak and the seriousness of the situation.
Still though, Cheltenham festival goes on. The health risks have been highlighted already, and my beliefs have come across quite clearly in this piece; but this isn’t a personal stand against the decisions taken by the organisers from myself. My writing will have no impact and won’t cause any major tactical rethinks from those at the top. However, this still needs to be highlighted; mostly because its probably going to the last sporting event to go ahead for the foreseeable future. Honestly, imagining life with no football or sport of any kind to look forward to is just too depressing.
This is the crux of this piece; no one really, deep down, wants to see sports events cancelled on a global scale. But these are the changes and sacrifices that need to be made for the benefit of all; and the hardest choices are the ones that we don’t want to make. All sports need to move as one to help curb the spread of Covid-19; no more inconsistencies and no more separate rules for specific sports. It’s for all of our benefits; there will be less confusion for fans and even sportsmen and women taking part because they’ll know where they stand. Ultimately, the sooner all sports are cancelled then the sooner we will see football, rugby and all the other mainstays that we’ve all become used to back on our screens and back as a part of our normal lives.
