The Karnataka government’s announcement on Wednesday that permissions will be granted to make preparations to conduct sporting activities, with a few exceptions, has not found enthusiastic takers in the sporting fraternity, given the riders they come with.
Minister for Tourism, Youth Empowerment and Sports C.T. Ravi said except for swimming, kabbaddi, and gyms, sportpersons can commence practice and play games in stadiums without spectators. He added that they will have to strictly follow rules such as social distancing, wearing masks and sanitisation of play areas.
However, these rules make it very tough to conduct any sports activity, administrators explained.
K. Krishnamurthy, secretary of Bengaluru Hockey Association, said team sports will find it tough to adhere to the rules. “It will be some time to restart hockey. You cannot consciously maintain distance while playing hockey. All State and national-level tournaments have been postponed, so there is no reason to rush into training. Matches, training, nothing can happen right now,” he said.
The Karnataka Badminton Association took a similar stance. Courts will not be opened until there’s clarity on the rules. It’s officials stated that it would be best if the State government forms a specialised committee to look into how and when to reopen sports activities. The risk of contracting the disease is much too high under the current circumstances, officials said.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association, meanwhile, will form its own set of guidelines and standard operating procedure before restarting. “We want to start cricket activities, but first, we must get things in order. We will have work out the dos and dont’s, precautionary measures and so on,” KSCA hon. treasurer Vinay Mruthyunjaya said. The KSCA will also replan its tournament calendar for the year. Mr. Mruthyunjaya added that as of now, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium can be used by players for jogging and exercising, but not for cricket activities.
