Football is back, so why are other sports still in the dark?

At Gold Reef City there is a rollercoaster ride called the Tower of Terror. Whoever named it should be commended.

If you haven’t had the displeasure of the experience, it involves being strapped to a box (with a seat belt) which inches itself forward before gravitational force yanks it down a vertical drop into an old mineshaft.

While the drop itself is notably unpleasant, it is not the worst part.

It’s the anxiety-filled wait which gets the heart rate racing, just before the fall, as the laws of physics are frozen in a seemingly endless moment in time.

Similarly, the suspension of elite competition has been significantly
challenging for many during the national lockdown, but the real battle lies in the widespread uncertainty which exists around its status.

The communication from government has been inconsistent, and though some sports seem to have been given more clarity than others, the information released thus far has been vague.

Since professional non-contact competitions were given a provisional green light in June, only cricket has returned to action with a one-off match.

Meanwhile, despite government insisting no contact sport would be allowed until level one of the national lockdown regulations had been reached, domestic football was set to resume this weekend and rugby announced this week it expected a return to competition next month.

With federations needing their health and safety protocols to be approved, it has largely been left to the codes themselves to figure out what’s happening, and to let the public know.

Though government has been vocal about the return of football, sports minister Nathi Mthethwa offered no specific clarity on any other codes
in a media conference earlier this week, leaving SA Rugby to communicate its own return to action on Thursday.

Similarly, the Sunshine Tour has also unveiled its own return to play with no updates from the sports ministry.

Many codes are still on hold – even those which have been cleared for a return – and while federations should also be held accountable for letting their members know what’s going on, the future of SA sport currently rests in the hands of government departments, and they could be far more proactive in detailing where each code lies in the return-to-play process.

Rollercoaster rides can be terrifying, and the suspension of sport caused by the pandemic has been no different for many individuals who rely on the industry for their livelihood, and others who depend on it for health, fitness and social purposes.

The scariest part, however, is the anxiety-inducing uncertainty of the seemingly endless wait.

Wesley Botton.

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