BNSC to assess COVID-19 damage
Mqondisi Dube | Friday April 3, 2020 20:27
BNSC chief executive officer, Falcon Sedimo said it was difficult to determine the impact thus far, although the outbreak has had far-reaching implications.
All sports activities have been halted, with some codes, particularly football, feeling the immediate financial pinch.
Others were in the middle of Olympic Games preparations, but all have been moved forward to allow the outbreak to be contained.
“The leadership of sport is still monitoring the situation and will at a later date determine the needs. It is essential to wait a little while so as to make an informed decision. This is necessary owing to the fact that many activities have been halted and will only be revisited once the situation would have improved,” Sedimo said when quizzed on proposed measures to cushion sport.
He said the BNSC would continue to make assessments “on an ongoing basis”.
“As you can imagine, even the commission is negatively affected like other sectors of the economy. Possible solutions to the various challenges will be made on a case by case basis,” he said.
Football, being the biggest sport constituency, would likely emerge as the biggest loser, with clubs expected to continue paying players during the break.
However, some clubs were already struggling to pay salaries, even before COVID-19 struck. The outbreak has already claimed the scalp of sport’s biggest draw card, the Toyota 1,000 Desert Race, which has been cancelled. It would only return next year. Most of the local competitions have either been postponed or cancelled, with the disease spreading like veldt fire across the world.