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Return to Play

Somewhere around the month of March all (ok almost all) sporting events across the globe came to a screeching halt. The pendamic had brought down yet another industry.


However, after a gap of almost 2.5 months sporting events atleast the European Football has started to return. Developed markets like Germany and UK were among the first ones to bring guidance notes towards return to play. #Bundusliga was the first one to return with several guidances on #returntoplay, spectatorless stadiums, player and support staff safety SoPs etc. in place. #laliga and #epl too have guidances in place and are are going to return soon.


In India the biggest sporting event the #ipl too was no different and it's organizer #bcci is moving cautiously towards announcing it's return.


Sports Authority of India (#SAI) has come up with #letsplayagain guidance note to ensure retune of sports in phased manner.


While most of the Leagues/Boards/Federations will have player/support staff safety in their minds while releasing these Guidances in their respective jurisdictions, the underlying reason remains to be commercial. 


Sports, is a huge industry today which feeds hundreds of thousands of people in it's eco system. Starting from players, leagues, support staff, broadcasting industry, sponsors, equipment manufacturers to name a few all are dependent on it and are eagerly waiting for sports to return and understandably so.


However, in my view sports at it's very core is a social event and a gathering of people for a social reason (which is entertainment). And by that logic all the players and support staff will be no lesser than the Frontline Heroes when they return to play as they will be the ones putting their lives on the line to entertain all of us.


Keeping this view in mind, I think all the guidance notes need to primarily start with player and support staff safety and then move ahead from there. Following issues to my mind are core to this thought process:

  1. Ensuring that player/support staff saftey is paramount;

  2. All the possible precautions including making quick, easy and best in class medical support available will be the key;

  3. Making sure that players don't lose out on their earnings if they contract the virus and have to stay out of play;

  4. Making sure that their families are taken care of when the players have to be isolated/quarantined;

  5. Adequate insurance without any carve outs for contracting the virus to take care of medical expenses or adequate financial support from clubs/leagues/boards/federations;

  6. Making sure that where ever required rules/regulations of the game are amended to ensure player safety (e.g. use of few permitted external agents to shine the cricket ball since use of spit is out of question);

  7. Treating players and support staff equivalent to employees ( this is a long term overhaul) especially in jurisdictions like India where they are conaidered  as self-employed and thus all the rights/benefits that they have are contractual in nature;

  8. Looking and revising the guidance notes on periodical basis (at least relook at them every week as data around pendamic is changing rapidly); and finally

  9. Allowing players a right to chose not to take the field, if in their reasonable opinion they don't seem it appropriate to take that risk. Appreciate the fact that they too are concerned about their health, career and families.


All of us are in this together and need to appreciate each other's perspective and be considerate/accommodative towards each other. 


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