WHEN all this is over, I have no idea how the sporting world is going to get back to normal but we will need it to.
Yesterday we finally had the confirmation the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games had been postponed until next year.
READ MORE: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces lockdown
FAIR POINT: Do the right thing, don't be a 'Covidiot', we are in a war now
It is ridiculous that it took this long, I assumed it would be the first thing to be postponed weeks ago.
What it caused was athletes in limbo, still going out and training as if preparing for the games just in case, and putting their lives at risk.
Prior to this we had the Premier League and EFL a few weekends ago saying fixtures were still going ahead, but were then forced to act when players and managers were confirmed as having Covid-19.
And in Formula 1 the Australian GP was in some confusion as it was only called off at the very last moment.
No one doubts these are tough times and difficult decisions to make, but at times like this you need to put the safety of competitors and the public first and before anything else.
Attention now turns to what will happen in the future, and how and when sport can return.
Of course no one knows when normal life will resume, but you would think we are looking at months. And sport could only resume when the authorities have no concerns it would stretch emergency services needed at big sporting events.
And if this crisis has dragged on for example over a year, could you imagine the authorities allowing the international travel required for Euro 2021 and the Olympics?
Football I would assume will try to complete this season, but that will have a significant knock on for effect for next season and beyond.
At the end of this though, we will need sport more than ever. It will help signal we have got through this tough period, and the social benefits of bringing us together will be more important than ever.
For the time being I’m having to resort to watching virtual sport, to get a live fix.
I watched the first Formula 1 ‘esport race’ at the weekend, and have watched some of the ongoing ‘Fifa Quarantine’ competition - where football teams have nominated a player to represent them. Although not being the same, it has been a good watch so far with people commenting along as if it was real sport. I would definitely recommend giving it a go if you haven’t yet.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel