Step 1 in roadmap to restart sports: Test all players, support staff, officials

AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE

From IPL and football to hockey and even the Olympics, global sports executives and Sports Ministry officials say organisers should ensure that all players, support staff and the officials involved are tested for COVID-19 before mass events are restarted — and not focus only on holding matches behind closed doors.

However, medical experts say it’s not easy. They foresee practical problems with mass testing, thus diminishing the chances of an early start to sporting action around the world.

With no clear timeframe available, various tournament organisers — including the BCCI that conducts IPL, cricket’s biggest event — have been exploring the possibility of conducting matches in empty venues. But hockey’s gameplan will depend on testing.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has put off the Tokyo Games in June by a year, said they will follow “risk management and mitigation measures set out by the WHO for mass gatherings”. Screening and testing are among the key recommendations in the WHO’s guidelines.

The Sports Ministry, too, is planning to test its athletes before allowing them to enter Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres after the lockdown is lifted.