The Great Gamble
There was a time, not too long ago, when the mere mention of money was anathema in sports ~ professionals were allowed in Wimbledon for the first time in 1968, and in the Olympics only from 1988.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Friday that it has assessed the risks regarding coronavirus and will go through with South Africa’s tour of India that is set to begin on March 12. CSA said that its chief medical officer will be travelling with the team as the team doctor.
“The Standard Bank Proteas will be travelling to India via Dubai, landing and spending a day in Delhi, then proceeding to play in Dharamsala, Lucknow and Kolkata. None of the playing venues have recorded positive cases and travel between these cities will be via chartered flights, reducing the risk even further. The risk in Dubai and Delhi are considered low,” CSA said in a statement.
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“While the risk remains low, precautionary measures are necessary because of the highly infectious nature of the disease. The team has been appraised of hygiene precautions, avoidance measures and symptom recognition in addition to being provided with travel kits,” it added.
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CSA said that it has engaged in a formal risk assessment process ahead of the series. “This risk assessment is done on the basis of the information provided by international experts, the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the South African Department of Health and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). We have also been liaising with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the South African embassy in India and Indian security and risk experts. The government of India has also provided the necessary assurances,” CSA said.
The first game of the three-match ODI series will be played in Dharamsala on March 12.
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