Sports during COVID: To 2021 with hope

Sport is a metaphor for the struggles of life - its innate ability to lacerate, heal and resurrect, and the propensity to tenaciously hang on to hope even in times of despair. The sporting ecosystem, between March to June, was gripped with fear.

The COVID pandemic had eviscerated the sporting calendar. Events were cancelled left, right and centre; losses threatened to run into billions as organisers woke up to realise they hadn’t insured against a pandemic - something that was never in their vocabulary.

Ways and means to restart were planned with war-like intensity. 'Bio-bubble' found its way into the sporting lexicon. Fast forward to December and the outlook seems much better. Combining science, technology and human tenacity, meets have been going on for the last six months.

Playing behind closed doors and putting rules such as no handshakes, fist bumps, etc., in place have helped the sports industry plot its way back. With several vaccines having already secured emergency use authorisation, there is cautious optimism as we enter 2021.

But the rules put in place in 2020 will remain for a while. Spectators may or may not be allowed depending on a case-to-case basis. Even events may not be held as per their original schedule. The Indian Wells Masters - one of the most important events in tennis - doesn’t figure in its original place in 2021. This means the virus will continue to dictate, at least to an extent, live sports. On Wednesday, Tokyo recorded 944 new cases, the second-highest daily increase.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the local organisers of 2020 Tokyo Olympics are keeping a close watch on the July 23-August 8 extravaganza. In India, there is a chance fans might be back in the stands when England visits early next year. Ditto for the Indian Premier League later in the year. Even the T20 World Cup, cricket's showpiece meet to be held in India this time, is set to go ahead with fans attending.

The outlook is much better with the vaccines, but caution is still going to be the buzzword. Science and technology have shown the way forward and as things stand, the virus too will have to cooperate. If 2020 was looked at as a shattered story, 2021 is looked at with optimism and the crazy word, hope.