First there were denials. Secondly, sports administrators over the world started taking notice. Soon postponements followed with a promise to resume live action soon. But as one after another, countries across the globe went into lockdown, hopes of seeing our favourite athletes on the field started diminishing further. Perhaps the most telling blow came when the tokyo olympics were postponed to the following year with no fixed date in sight. Coronavirus' domination over the wide world of sports was complete. With no clarity as to when this crisis will be over, one thing is for certain: sports will never be the same if and when the pandemic subsides.

 

With close to 4 million people being affected to date, the world stands at a crossroads, faced with the decision of jumpstarting the economy, while living under the fear of the novel Covid-19. sports administrators are also increasingly grappling with questions regarding the future of various events and leagues across the world. There has been some good news recently in the form of the German Bundesliga declaring a May 16 restart while the england and wales cricket Board (ECB) planning to host west indies for a full tour starting in July. But even the most optimistic of sports fans would understand that unless and until a vaccine for the coronavirus is invented and is available for the masses, when and how sports will return to their pre-Covid-19 status is anybody's guess. 

 

Playing in front of empty stadiums is an idea that has been mooted by many since the onset of the pandemic and it seems the only logical way to restart play while 'living with the virus'. With the risk of a contagion set to rule daily lives in the near future, most die-hard fans will also be a bit apprehensive about filling the stadiums. While it will certainly be a weird experience for the players and also for those watching on tv, there doesn't seem to be a way out of this unless governments are able to strictly impose social distancing norms in big stadiums. With the lack of any live-action at the moment, there is no doubt that fans are currently hungry for more. But if the period under lockdown is anything to go by, players and teams all over the world have started finding new ways to keep their fans engaged. The sudden spike in instagram Live sessions with athletes across sports is already a signal that more such ways of personalized fan-engagement are set to become the norm. 

మరింత సమాచారం తెలుసుకోండి: