Delta variant causing alarm at sports events

The sporting world continues to be tormented by the coronavirus pandemic one-and-a-half years since the first cases emerged in Wuhan.Alarming fresh surges in several countries are causing concern and, with several major events due in the next few weeks, it has become clear that despite massive vaccination drives the battle against the killer microbe is still to be won.The 2020 Olympics already postponed by a year are due next month in Tokyo where public sentiment is mixed and the IOC and local organisers are struggling to calm the fears of athletes.Tennis star Serena Williams became the latest top athlete to pull out of the Games following the example of several others, including Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka. Roger Federer, meanwhile, is unsure, saying he will be making a decision only after Wimbledon.Several high-profile players from other sports have also pulled out and with the Delta variant of the virus adding to the alarm worldwide.Yesterday, the Russian city of Saint Petersburg posted record Covid-19 deaths as it prepares to host a Euro 2020 quarter-final despite the worrying spread of the Delta variant.The strain has already made its presence felt in 85 countries and is the most contagious of any Covid-19 variant so far identified, according to the World Health Organisation.In Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak, businesses have been ordered to send home some of their unvaccinated workers and the mayor has urged residents to get the shot.Russia has seen an explosion of new cases linked to the Delta variant, with Moscow and Saint Petersburg both posting record deaths yesterday.Russia’s tournament organisers said Friday’s quarter-final would “take place as planned”.Spectator numbers have been capped at half, but are still drawing upwards of 26,000 people.Concerns over coronavirus have also dogged another major sporting events, with cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup moved from India to the United Arab Emirates.And Japan’s Olympic chief warned yesterday there was “no way” to ensure zero virus cases among athletes coming to the Tokyo Games, after two members of Uganda’s team tested positive last week following their arrival.Yasuhiro Yamashita said “thorough measures” would be necessary at airports, adding: “Even if you’ve had two vaccine doses, it doesn’t guarantee every individual will be negative.”The virus also remains on the march across the Asia-Pacific, with thousands left stranded in Bangladesh’s capital ahead of a sweeping new lockdown.A recent study by the independent Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research reported more than two-thirds of new virus cases were linked to the Delta strain.Thailand also re-imposed restrictions on restaurants, construction sites and gatherings in the capital Bangkok and its suburbs because of a spike in cases.Indonesia is meanwhile battling one of the worst outbreaks in Asia, reporting a daily record 21,000 new cases on Sunday as fears grew about the ability of its stretched hospitals to handle the surge.To the south, infections have appeared in cities across Australia, with Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Sydney all reporting new cases of the Delta variant.That has prompted local authorities to impose restrictions such as lockdowns in areas not used to living under strict Covid-19 rules.Fresh restrictions have also been announced in South Africa, where President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that “health facilities are stretched to the limit”.South Africa is set to host major rugby matches over the next few weeks.Meanwhile, health authorities everywhere are keeping their fingers crossed. One thing they are certain about is that they can’t let their guard down.