Signs are growing globally that sport is not going to lie down and die in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. And the latest news on the Tour de France has helped strengthened this belief.
In the past week or two it has become clear that the virus and the Covid-19 disease it spawns is not going to be like a flash flood. It is not going to come, devastate and disappear quickly because of lockdowns of three of four weeks.
It’s going to take a lot longer than that with very serious consequences for sport, especially professional sport. And you can say the same for the sportsbook industry.
It looked very much like initial plans by many global sports to kick-start their competitions by mid-year would have to be shelved
Sportsbooks with online betting facilities have not been shut-down by the lockdowns. They continue to operate, it’s true. But it is with a product range that has shrunk so drastically, thousands of their customers are deserting them for poker and other forms of online gaming.
In the past week, however, there have been signs that will have brightened things up for sports fans, punters and sportsbook everywhere.
Some Sports looking to open sooner than later
News has been circulating of moves by a numbers of sports bodies to get things up and running sooner than later under stringent health regulations that will include intensive tests.
Last week Le Bron James, who initially strongly opposed playing matches without fans, changed his mind. The LA Lakers’ super star led a player’s call for the NBA to resume as soon as possible, if necessary behind closed doors.
This week the MLB confirmed it was seriously looking at starting their delayed season with all 30 teams living in deserted hotels and playing nearby without fans behind closed doors.
Apart from major stadiums in the area they would also use spring-training diamonds. Arizona, with one of the lowest rates of Covid-19 has offered ample facilities in Phoenix for this purpose.
Now comes the news that the Tour De France, global cycling’s biggest professional race of the year, could still go ahead.
An extension of the ban on large gatherings in France until mid-July meant it would have to be pushed back or possibly scrapped.
UCI sets August-September dates for Tour de France
On Wednesday, the UCI confirmed it was still on and had set new dates, these being between August 29 and September 20.
Speaking for the vast majority of leading professional cyclists, recent Paris-Nice champion Maximilian Schachmann welcomed the news
“I am happy that the decision was made earlier than planned,” he told Stats Perform.
“The decision was not to be made until 15th of May. It has come one month earlier than expected, which is really good for all athletes.
“We now have a better plan for our future. I also think the decision was quite reasonable, because it was quite utopian to believe that the Tour de France could start at the end of June. In my opinion, this plan is the most realistic one.
“It would be a heavy hit for professional sports, if the tour was cancelled. Cycling is a commercial sport like football or tennis.
Health of athletes important
“I am a professional sportsman as well, so I want to do my job if it all possible. As I’ve already said though, I’ll only be happy the Tour takes if all aspects like the health of the athletes have been clarified.
“If this can’t be guaranteed you would have to think about cancelling the Tour. You can’t postpone it any further.”
Schachmann also acknowledged that the famed event may have to take place without spectators present if the declining coronavirus infection rate in Europe had begun rising again.
“To be honest, I did not think about this possibility,” the German added.
“Within the last weeks we have seen how fast things can change. The infections are declining in almost every country. Now we have to see if the numbers of infections are about to rise again if the actions of containment are relaxed.
“This development could be decisive in regard to whether the Tour takes place with spectators or without.”
????2020 UCI International Road Calendar Update
???? Suspension of competitions until 1 July (1 Aug for UCI WT)
???? @LeTour will take place between 29 Aug – 20 Sep
???? @aiglemartigny20 will still take place between 20-27 SepCheck out all the updates here ????https://t.co/PyRy3BPtE5 pic.twitter.com/inVDx4TIMb
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) April 15, 2020