Hope remains that things will look up for sports fans

MUCH like last year, this year has had its fair share of challenges but, so far, it has been a lot better than last year for sports fanatics.

There was pandemonium last year as sports bodies and teams suffered massive financial losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fact that fans were not allowed at games was a financial frustration for teams and federations and detracted from the experience of watching sport live.

Let’s face it, many of the games that have been held behind closed doors over the past year seemed like more training ground exhibitions than major contests.

The world has a long way to go in terms of reducing the spread of the pandemic. It will probably take several years before we can return to pre-2020 levels of normalcy.

However, the fact that fans are slowly being allowed to attend events such as the Euro 2020 games, WWE WrestleMania 37, and the recent Logan Paul versus Floyd Mayweather boxing match, albeit in limited numbers, has enhanced the fan experience and creates hope that things may return back to normal sooner rather than later.

This is not cause for total optimism, however. With the virus able to mutate, a new variant could develop which might cause a lot of the improvements and progress to be undone.

In South Africa, sports events are in a similar state to how they were before the onset of level 5 lockdown though we have seen minimal improvement with an increased number of media workers allowed to attend live events.

Communication between the official bodies and fans remains haphazard and as things stand, nobody knows when fans may be allowed back.

Fans were not allowed to attend live cricket, football, and rugby games last season, and it remains uncertain if they will be allowed in the latter part of this year.

Prior to the onset of the level five lockdown, sporting bodies in South Africa faced serious problems, and the problems caused by the pandemic have probably compounded it.

The one glimmer of hope is that South Africans are able to adapt at short notice, so don’t be surprised if it is suddenly and abruptly announced that fans may be allowed back in a limited capacity. We'll keep our fingers crossed when the third wave subsides.