Friday , 29 March 2024
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addresses a briefing on the latest information about the Coronavirus Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in the James S. Brady Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

Sports can return without the fans

The top US health and infectious disease specialist says reopening of professional sports leagues in America is possible only if athletes play games inside empty stadiums.

Anthony Fauci, who is a member of the US response team to the global coronavirus pandemic, said reliable antibody testing and fast results are also crucial to the return of sports.

“There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci told US Snapchat show “Good Luck America.” “Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play.

Professional sports leagues are in gridlock due to the pandemic that has so far killed nearly 28,000 Americans.

The National Basketball Association is pondering a similar model for getting their 2019-20 season restarted in either Las Vegas or the Bahamas.

The NBA shut down on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, and the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer and the PGA Tour quickly followed suit.

The Professional Golfers’ Association is considering a return on June 11 without fans in attendance, starting with the Texas Open, which was originally scheduled for May 21-24.

The matches would not be played in front of fans, and the PGA may have to play on gallery-free courses for at least the months of June and July.

Eight Tour events were postponed on March 17. The PGA Championship and Masters were rescheduled for later in the season.

Major League Baseball’s 2020 season, which was due to start March 26, is on hold, as is the LPGA tour and motor racing, while the National Football League is just hoping it will be able to start its season on time in September.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio said he doesn’t want to see large-scale sporting events and concerts with fans come back for a long time.

“Those big events should be one of the last things we should bring back online. The last thing we should do is gather 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 people in one place,” de Blasio told CNN.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said his California city might not host large gatherings, such as sporting events and concerts, before 2021. AFP

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *