At this stage, nobody doubts that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc in most aspects of our lives. Sports haven’t been immune to these issues. In the specific case of cricket, during 2020 Australia was supposed to host the ICC T20 World Cup. However, the aforementioned pandemic forced the postponement of the event by one year. However, the tournament was not only postponed. It was also agreed that the host would be India rather than Australia, also, it was decided that the event would run between october and november of 2021. Of course, Parimatch is a platform that is determined in allowing cricket fans to enjoy their favorite sport in a way that they have never done before. For this reason, wherever and whenever the championship takes place, people will be able to follow everything that takes place during it from the bookmaker’s platform.
Unfortunately India hasn’t been able to contain the COVID-19 pandemic within its borders. For this reason, many experts argue that the tournament will be postponed again, or that the host country might be changed outright. According to these experts, there are a few issues that India must solve in order to be able to host the tournament as originally planned. They include things like:
- the country must be able to stabilize its rates of contagion in order to reduce the risk of exposure by the delegations;
- India must be able to provide all the accommodations to contain the delegations within bubbles, so they minimize their contact with the outside world;
- and finally, it looks unlikely that fans will be able to attend matches in the stadiums themselves!
As it can be seen, these are no trivial aspects. As it has already happened in a few other competitions, many teams or sports people have decided to cancel their participation in them for fear of contagion, or because they felt that the measures taken by the host are not enough to ensure a safe environment. There are certain chances that some countries might decide to simply not attend the ICC T20 World Cup, which of course will be a severe blow to the competition.
The organizing committee must ensure the safety of the delegations and the Indian population
Of course, the organizing committee is working hard to convince attendees to the tournament that they will not be under any kind of health threat if they decide to participate in the tournament. However, there is only so much that the committee can do. After all, the health situation of the entire country depends on the authorities and not the organizing committee of a sports competition.
However, there might still be a chance for the tournament to go ahead. There are still many months before the tournament begins. While the time frame is tight, it is still possible to stabilize the situation. Many countries have already proved that with the necessary measures, it is possible to ensure a safe environment for a massive sports tournament to take place. However, considering how large India is, it is unlikely that fans will be allowed in the stadiums.
The UEFA Euro 2020 is probably the best example of that. The organizing countries and the committee have worked hard in order to ensure good conditions for the delegations and the general public. There are many things that the organizing committee of the ICC T20 World Cup might imitate from the Euro 2020 organization in order to ensure an exciting, entertaining, but most of all, safe competition for all parties involved.