By now, most people know that the Coronavirus is becoming an epidemic. From a sports perspective over seventy-two sports events have been affected. Over seventy-two sports events have been cancelled, postponed, moved, or relocated due to the threat of the Coronavirus.
In Italy, they have suspended all sport including Serie A games and the ongoing Six Nations tournament. The Chinese Grand Prix has also been postponed to an unknown date while the season-opening Moto GP race has been cancelled. While for the most part sport has been largely unaffected by the virus it would seem that the threat is constantly growing.
The Olympic Games, the pinnacle for any athlete has also come under threat of being postponed or even cancelled. Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee President, has said there has been no talk of cancellation or postponement. Which is just what you would expect them to say when they are considering cancelling, or postponing the event? They surely have to have it as a possibility at this point. The concern will be not only the safety of the athletes but the safety of the supporters as well.
In Italy, the football association has considered playing matches behind closed doors to prevent the virus from being spread that way. The only problem with that is that is usually a punishment for football clubs and playing without fans in the stadium will affect the outcome of a game. Often if the home team is behind, they count on their support to lift them. However, safety is a priority and anything that can help needs to be done.
All over the world, precautions are being taken to lessen the spread and to prevent the spread of COVID-19. People are stocking up on alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills viruses that may be on your hands. The World Health Organization has a whole list of things you can do to prevent the spread of the virus on its website.
We do not yet know the full impact that the Coronavirus will have on sport throughout the world but if recent events are anything to go by then the world should take this outbreak very seriously. It will affect everything about sports, from the athletes that play to the fans that support them. Most people are very dismissive of the virus at this point and that could be detrimental in the end. While the situation looks under control, for now, that could quickly change and then it might be too late. In my opinion, prevention is better than cure so take it seriously and take the necessary precautions to prevent getting and spreading the Coronavirus.
