Commentary

Tough move but right call to end Netball Super League season early

PHOTO: ST FILE

Another sport in Singapore was hit by the coronavirus crisis on Friday, with the M1 Netball Super League truncating its season.

This means that its play-offs - semi-finals, preliminary final and grand final - will now not be held. Instead, the title has been awarded to the team most consistent after the completion of two stages of round-robin games - Sneakers Stingrays.

The decision is unprecedented and not everyone will be happy with it. Some teams will be aggrieved that they were not given the opportunity to challenge the Stringrays in the play-offs for a shot at the title or improve their position in the table. They believe that Netball Singapore jumped the gun.

But stopping the competition, or indeed all competitive sport, right now is correct, for in these grim times, it is clear that acting early and decisively is better than reacting too late. Just look at what is happening in other parts of the world, as governments that did not take the threat of Covid-19 seriously early on are now scrambling to curb its transmission and struggling to save lives.

The leaders at NS did not come to this decision lightly. Netball enjoys a leading profile in the fraternity and besides disappointing its players (some of whom will point out that there are only two more weekends to go), it also needs to balance the needs of its many stakeholders, particularly its sponsors.

Netball could not afford to wait for one month, or two, to restart the competition because there is no guarantee when the danger will dissipate. The world is working to the virus' unknown timeline. Even the Olympics, despite the massive losses it will incur, had to abandon its "wait and see" approach and postponed the Games for an entire year.

For the disease to be stopped in its tracks, people need to be grounded. And sportsmen and women are one of the hardest groups of people to keep still. It is in their very nature to keep moving. As the Olympic motto goes: Faster, Higher, Stronger.

Add the fact that the majority of them are young, very fit and healthier than the rest of the population and you understand why some believe they are invincible to an enemy that cannot be seen.

Our athletes are always urged used to do their best for the nation. And now Team Singapore is asking them to stand still.

It could be their greatest challenge yet.

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