The coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill and the sporting arena is no exception. Most of the high profile tournaments including the Tokyo Olympics 2020 stand postponed.
(180901) -- JAKARTA, Sept. 1, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Park Byungho of South Korea competes during the men's baseball final between South Korea and Japan at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sept. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)
The Japanese baseball season is set for resumption after two teams reportedly held practice games on Monday. The league has been suspended since March 20 as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.
Orix Buffaloes and SoftBank Hawks held respective intra-squad scrimmages at their grounds, as reported by Kyodo News, as the sport looks to get back on its feet in the country.
This comes in the aftermath of authorities lifting state of emergency in few cities in Japan, namely Osaka and Fukuoka, as the number of positive coronavirus cases showed a steady decline.
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The capital city of Tokyo is reportedly next in line where restrictions are expected to be lifted soon.
“You cannot forever employ 3,000 to 5,000 people in an organising committee,” Bach was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty.
“There is no blueprint for it so we have to reinvent the wheel day by day. It’s very challenging and at the same time fascinating.”
The coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill and the sporting arena is no exception. Most of the high profile tournaments including the Tokyo Olympics 2020 stand postponed.
Even the biggest cricketing spectacle on the planet, the Indian Premier League (IPL), stands suspended indefinitely owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, Bundesliga became the first high-profile sporting event to resume after a 65 day period with almost no sporting activity.
The move comes after governments are beginning to realise that the coronavirus is here to stay for quite some time now and sports among other businesses will need to find a way to co-exist with it.
The virus has already infected over 5 million people around the world while claiming over three lakh lives. There is still no sure shot treatment of the disease and social-distancing, self-isolation and maintenance of basic hand hygiene remain the only potent weapons of protecting oneself from contracting the infection.
(With inputs from IANS)
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