Sports taking a knee all over the world
Limba Mupetami
The sporting world is feeling the weight of the corona outbreak that's spread from China to most countries around the world, infecting well over 100 000 people and killing over 5 000 globally so far.
Countries have issued quarantine orders and banned large gatherings in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Two cases have been confirmed in Namibia.
Football leagues - professional and amateur - are taking unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of fans and athletes alike, much to the disappointment of many.
Namibians are also starting to feel the effects of this virus because not only have the Uefa championship games been postponed but also the English Premier League matches. The EPL is the holy grail of football lovers and is watched religiously by many. It is the centre of debates and the driving force for social gatherings; a great weekend stress outlet for many as well.
Apart from football, boxing events are being postponed as well. Just last weekend, local boxer Sakaria 'Desert Storm' Lukas's fight against Jessie Magdaleno of the United States was postponed.
That was a great disappointment for many boxing fans, as many had anticipated a thrilling fight. Quite honestly, I wanted to see Lukas in the ring, since he had been working extremely hard prior to the fight.
Apart from that there are worries about upcoming events like the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the biggest global sporting event of the year. Organisers have already voiced concerns that the virus could cause problems for the event.
Namibian athletes who have qualified for the Games are waiting to hear if they will get a chance to compete.
By all accounts, it seems like the International Organising Committee is going to do all it can to keep the event going, given that a cancellation would result in losses of tens of billions of dollars and financial devastation for sports governing bodies that require Olympic income to survive.
Another competition in limbo is the upcoming Chan competition in Cameroon. I think athletes and teams must brace themselves for more postponements and suspensions, because as much as we don't want this to happen, it is here and it's happening.
Expect more changes in the coming days and weeks as we head toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan, which has been one of the more heavily affected countries.
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The sporting world is feeling the weight of the corona outbreak that's spread from China to most countries around the world, infecting well over 100 000 people and killing over 5 000 globally so far.
Countries have issued quarantine orders and banned large gatherings in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Two cases have been confirmed in Namibia.
Football leagues - professional and amateur - are taking unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of fans and athletes alike, much to the disappointment of many.
Namibians are also starting to feel the effects of this virus because not only have the Uefa championship games been postponed but also the English Premier League matches. The EPL is the holy grail of football lovers and is watched religiously by many. It is the centre of debates and the driving force for social gatherings; a great weekend stress outlet for many as well.
Apart from football, boxing events are being postponed as well. Just last weekend, local boxer Sakaria 'Desert Storm' Lukas's fight against Jessie Magdaleno of the United States was postponed.
That was a great disappointment for many boxing fans, as many had anticipated a thrilling fight. Quite honestly, I wanted to see Lukas in the ring, since he had been working extremely hard prior to the fight.
Apart from that there are worries about upcoming events like the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the biggest global sporting event of the year. Organisers have already voiced concerns that the virus could cause problems for the event.
Namibian athletes who have qualified for the Games are waiting to hear if they will get a chance to compete.
By all accounts, it seems like the International Organising Committee is going to do all it can to keep the event going, given that a cancellation would result in losses of tens of billions of dollars and financial devastation for sports governing bodies that require Olympic income to survive.
Another competition in limbo is the upcoming Chan competition in Cameroon. I think athletes and teams must brace themselves for more postponements and suspensions, because as much as we don't want this to happen, it is here and it's happening.
Expect more changes in the coming days and weeks as we head toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan, which has been one of the more heavily affected countries.
[email protected]
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