The money-spinning IPL mulled a closed-door edition in a desperate bid to avoid cancellation as the deadly COVID-19 sent Indian sports into quarantine after a government directive asked for fans to be kept away from all action to prevent the pandemic from spreading.
“…Ensure that no public gathering takes place in anysporting event. In the event the sporting event cannot be avoided, the samecould be done without allowing gathering of people, including spectators,” readan order from the Sports Ministry which caused quite an upheaval through theday.
The directive ensured that the remaining two ODIs betweenIndia and South Africa in Lucknow and Kolkata, the Indian Super League footballtournament final in Goa, and the last day of the Ranji Trophy summit clash inRajkot will be played in front of empty stadiums, an unprecedented turn ofevents in Indian sports.
On the IPL, the BCCI maintained a stoic silence but theSports Ministry dropped enough hints that the glitzy T20 tournament could beheld in empty stadiums too due to the health crisis even as foreign playerswere ruled out till April 15 following government-imposed travel restrictions.The event is due to start on March 29 in Mumbai.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also advised the BCCIto “not do it at this time but if the organisers want to go ahead, it is theirdecision”.
In another major development, the All India FootballFederation said that the remaining 28 matches of the I-League, including themarquee Kolkata derby between champions Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, are likelyto be played in empty stadiums.
This came a day after organisers of badminton’s India Open,starting March 24, decided they won’t allow spectators this year.
Besides, the national tennis federation and the ParalympicCommittee of India decided to put on hold all national and state-levelchampionships till April 15, keeping in mind government directions.
The Athletics Federation of India, on the other hand,withdrew invitations to foreign competitors for the Federation Cup but saidthat the event itself will go ahead in Patiala from April 10-13.
The IPL’s fate would be up for discussion at the event’sGoverning Council meeting on Saturday and the BCCI has decided to adopt a waitand watch policy till then. Sports Secretary Radhey Shyam Julaniya told PTIthat events can continue but without the presence of crowds.
“We have asked all the NSFs, including the BCCI, to followthe Health Ministry’s latest advisory, which says public gatherings should beavoided in all events, including sporting activities,” Julaniya said.
“The sporting events can go on but the advisory needs to befollowed,” he added.
The government on Wednesday suspended all visas, barring afew categories like diplomatic and employment, in an attempt to prevent the spreadof coronavirus as cases across India rose to more than 70.
The outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to more than 4,000 deaths and leftover 100,000 infected globally.
In India, Karnataka and Delhi have declared COVID-19epidemics. The two states are home to IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore(led by Virat Kohli) and Delhi Capitals.
The shooting World Cup and the Indian Open golf tournamentare so far the biggest events to have been postponed in the Indian sportingcalendar.
Meanwhile, the Indian boxing team, returning from the AsianOlympic Qualifiers in Jordan, will be asked to stay “home-quarantined” eventhough all the members have got the necessary health clearances.
A total of 13 boxers and almost an equal number of coachingstaff arrive back on Thursday after clinching an unprecedented nine Olympicslots in the qualifiers which concluded on Wednesday in Amman.
“They will be asked to quarantine themselves at their homesor hostel rooms for a few days. They have, however, been given the necessaryhealth clearances by the Jordanian Olympic association,” Boxing Federation ofIndia’s Executive Director R K Sacheti told PTI.
The coronavirus outbreak has also led to speculation overthe fate of the Tokyo Olympics this year. The International Olympic Committee(IOC), however, has insisted that the Games will be held as scheduled inJuly-August.
Elsewhere, the NBA has cancelled the rest of the seasonafter one player tested positive, the Spanish football league has beensuspended for two weeks, the entire Real Madrid football team is in quarantineand in Pakistan, the cricket board has decided to hold the remaining matches ofthe Pakistan Super League (PSL) behind closed doors.