Sacred bubble and the challenges at home

Bio-bubble seems to be the wonder word in sports. The bubble to keep players secure is not just working but also seems intact. The delayed football season across Europe got over without a fuss. In England, two Test cricket series went off without a hitch. Basketball and baseball in the US are up and running.

The US Open, one of the biggest bio-bubble experiments thus far, had a scare when Frenchman Benoit Paire tested positive a day before the event. He was asked to withdraw but the two-week event continues. Formula One is another successful example of the sacredness of the bubble. Despite involvement of travel every few weeks, there has only been one positive test out of 25,000 odd—Sergio Perez of Racing Point. Thanks to the bio-bubble, September—when almost all major football leagues begin—will look like any other year from a sports perspective.

Closer home, the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) couldn’t have asked for a scarier start in the UAE. Thirteen CSK players and members tested positive in Dubai before being sent into isolation. More positive cases could jeopardise the league. Thankfully, the other seven teams seem to be fine. The BCCI would be hoping the bio-bubble remains intact and its sanctity respected.

Though the sports ministry is keen on resuming the sporting season, creating a bio-bubble in India would be the first challenge for organisers, starting with the Indian Super League and I-league football tournaments scheduled after the IPL. Professional leagues can still afford it but the challenge would be
for the National Sports Federations to host nationals in a bio-bubble. With hundreds participating and converging from all over the country usually by train and various other means of transport, NSFs will have a daunting task to create a secure bubble.

Educating the athletes, putting in place strict norms and monitoring will not be easy either. It will also cost more than any regular nationals. Most NSFs don’t have the luxury of a budget. The way things stand, it sounds very difficult to host nationals now. After all, the safety of our athletes is paramount.