FACED with the uncertainty of the pandemic, numerous sporting organisations around the country have not been granted the permission to resume training activities while, surprisingly, some have managed to receive consent to resume. While most are raring for a chance to be active again in their respective discipline, some were still against being active during the pandemic unless a working vaccination has been established. It is partially comforting to know that vaccinations to counter COVID-19 were given in the American mass vaccination campaign on Monday morning, opening a new chapter in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more people in the United States than in any other country. The moves come just six days after Britain became the first nation in the world to begin rolling out a fully tested vaccine. Since then, a handful of other nations have approved the same vaccine.

The outbreak forced an immediate halt on all sporting activities around the world as every governing body subsequently developed strategic plans for Countries not fully prepared for the transition of sport during the pandemic. Numerous local organisations have presented their guidelines in the hope that their request to resume regular activities is given approval. While these plans help to mitigate the spread of the disease to keep athletes, officials and, recently, fans safe, it is the National Covid-19 Task Force (NCTF) who have the last say. A few organisations received permission from the NCTF to either resume light training, and/or host competitions without audiences, coupled with other restrictions. Sadly, the number of organisations not given approval densely outweighs those who were given the opportunity.

<<Active/Inactive/Waiting for the future…>>

Sports that were given permission to host events or do light training locally include cricket, golf, lawn tennis, cycling, body building, boxing and athletics (marathons). The sports that have not gotten permission or have shelved their calendar of activities until 2021 include football, rugby, table tennis, basketball, horse racing, swimming, pistol shooting, karate, volleyball, chess, hockey, powerlifting, squash and motorsports. Most recently, the Task Force weighed the pros and cons of the annual Kennard’s Memorial Boxing Day Horse Race Meet which has been in existence for decades. However, the hard-working task force decided that the nature of the event makes it highly impossible to adhere to social-distancing guidelines. Meanwhile, some associations have expressed their frustration at not being approved to resume training for the fact the numerous high-level international competitions are approaching and their preparation is falling behind daily. At this point, the denied lot of sporting organisations’ only option is for the nation to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine currently in distribution to counter the pandemic and try to return to some form of normalcy.