LET’S EMBRACE NEW NORMAL

My dearest readers… You will recall that when the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, it stressed that all countries must strike a balance between protecting health and minimising economic and social disruption and respecting human rights.

“I greet you all under circumstances that seem to be destined to be the new normal,” said the all-too-powerful Orlando Pirates Football Club and Premier Soccer League (PSL) boss, Dr Irvin Khoza during yesterday’s lunch-time press conference to give feedback on the status of the ABSA premiership in that country.

The ‘Iron Duke’ of South African football was succinctly clear that living with COVID-19, an “invisible, inaudible, tasteless, odourless virus that we can unknowingly touch, ingest or inhale to our detriment, is the new normal,”

When our own government, through the Prime Minister, Ambrose ‘Mandvulo’ Dlamini, announced the return of some low-risk sports last Friday, there was obvious elation from the sporting fraternity on the return of some sporting action.
Understandably, the four-months break was proving to be a huge challenge for everyone, especially for those of us who live, eat, drink and sleep sports.

Resume

It might be just angling, athletics, equestrian, cricket, cue sports (pool), cycling, darts, golf, shooting, tennis and teqball, that have been given the green light to resume action but it is a big step towards hopefully things getting back to normal. But since the number one sport in the country – and needless to say globally – soccer has not returned, there is hope that it might eventually return in the not-so-distant future.

One thing is certain, as government through the Eswatini Sports and Recreational Council (ESRC) has indicated, it is of paramount importance that all the sports that have been given the leeway to resume action adhere to all the COVID-19 rules and regulations as outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and government.

The safety of the athletes and officials is of paramount importance because this invisible enemy has proven it has no respect for age, colour of your skin, creed and social status.

Regulations

We do not want to be in a position where our sporting fields will be turned into a new epicentre for the virus because people got too excited and failed to adhere to the COVID-19 rules and regulations.

Failure to adhere the guidelines will see the virus sweeping all of us like a popcorn kernel in an ant colony. That’s why ESRC has sent a warning that they will not hesitate to suspend those sporting codes games immediately due to failure to abide by the COVID-19 rules and regulations. The sporting codes that have been given the green-light were categorised as low-risk non-contact sports but this does not imply that people should behave like, at best, a kid in a candy shop or at worst, a millionaire’s wife at a shopping mall with a bona fide blank cheque. The laid down protocols have to be respected AT ALL TIMES.

Safety

This is the new normal; the likes of Dr Irvin Khoza were talking about. The boss of bosses stressed that as PSL they had put the safety of the lives of everyone as a top priority.
This is the new normal, which we also have to embrace as a country – in all the sporting codes.

We have to accept that the new normal will be changed outlook as we knew our sporting worlds to have been. There’s plenty about the post-pandemic world that will never be the same again – for both the participants and the spectators.

Nobody could have put it with such alluring clarity than Paul Geary, the director of customer experience at marketing intelligence agency One Custom, who said: “It’s been deeply strange to not be able to harness the goodwill, energy and passion of a global sporting event at a time when the world needs it more than ever,”

We have already seen it. Liverpool winning the English premiership title for the first time in 30 years but celebrating without their boisterous fans. Lifeless. Soulless. It seems it’s still a long way before we can all enjoy live sport – if ever we will. It seems even if football, in particular, returns, in the post-pandemic world, fans cannot hug each other in celebrating a goal.

No munching of cabbages and loaves of bread. It’s a challenging environment for everybody involved with sports, especially the fans, sponsors and the media who still have to find ways to capture the winning moments, the atmosphere and the other key elements of the sports-viewing experience.
The soulless Ingwenyama Cup prize presentation was as dead as dishwater. This is the new normal we have to embrace unfortunately.

Opportunity

The lockdown period, thanks God, also provided us with an opportunity to get to know the behind-the-scenes content with sports through some of the documentaries we watched on television. Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance, for instance, talks to the importance and impact of storytelling and goes beyond sport.

There is a lot to learn and positives to take out even under this difficult period in our lives. We just need to be more responsible, more receptive to change and most importantly, we have to embrace the NEW NORMAL in sports.

Adhering to the COVID-19 rules and regulations is of paramount importance, for starters. This period also gives the sponsors and sporting codes an opportunity to think outside the box. This is the time to continuously engage on the need to digitise and find relevant ways to engage with fans in the post-COVID-19 era. In the entertainment industry, we have seen music artists and stables host some events on the digital space. Only those with innovative ways to continue engaging their fans will survive in the NEW NORMAL. Let’s embrace it.

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