SINGAPORE - It is a different sporting world since the coronavirus pandemic struck this year, and analysts believe it will take time before live events return to the days of full stadiums and a packed calendar.

But Singapore's reputation as a good host will help the country continue to attract high-profile competitions once the outbreak has been contained, they noted.

James Walton, the sports business group leader at Deloitte Singapore and South-east Asia, highlighted the Republic's accessibility as an international location and added: "Singapore also has a track record of hosting major international events and done well in the implementation of safety measures to curb the spread of the virus.

"This would assure sporting event organisers and investors on their decision to host potential marquee events here."

Several notable tournaments like golf's HSBC Women's World Championship, the Singapore Badminton Open, and football's International Champions Cup (ICC) have been cancelled along with numerous mass participation runs.

September's Singapore Grand Prix also remains in doubt given the start of the Formula One season has been delayed since March.

Singapore's circuit breaker was implemented on April 7 and was extended until June 1.

In his May Day speech which addressed restarting the country's economy after the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said critical sectors will open up first while entertainment outlets and large-scale sporting events which attract crowds, or involve close contact with other people, will have to wait.

Such an approach is similar to examples abroad. Football clubs in Germany resumed training in early April while adhering to strict social distancing guidelines. The European nation has been slowly easing coronavirus curbs on public life but has held off confirming a possible restart of the Bundesliga.

While there is no definitive timeline on when sports events will resume in Singapore, Jeffrey Foo, managing director of Infinitus Productions, predicted there will be a spike in interest over the next six to nine months after the circuit breaker ends.

His company organises an average of 20 events a year, including the Sundown Marathon which draws 25,000 runners.

There will be new challenges post-circuit breaker though, with promoters inevitably dealing with more restrictions. This could lead to increased costs of up to 40 per cent to cater for social-distancing and contact-tracing measures, which are likely to be partially passed on to consumers.

Foo said: "Digital investment is going to be much higher to interact with consumers and create that long-term relationship.

"Events are not going to be filled with 10,000 or 20,000 people, so it's up to organisers to turn it around and make it an advantage for them in the form of an exclusive, sell-out event, for example."

For Singapore Management University associate professor of marketing Hannah Chang, large-scale marathons were down the pecking order. She said: "When the circuit breaker is lifted, it is more likely that the first live sports events which resumes would be those that are smaller in scale and do not require people to be in close physical contact."

One clear beneficiary has been virtual sports, noted Walton.

He said: "It is interesting to see e-sports gaining tremendous traction with the global health crisis. There could be increased investments from brands who are already involved, and a new openness among brands who have been reluctant to try until now."

National agency Sport Singapore is closely monitoring the situation and its chief executive Lim Teck Yin said: "How we orchestrate their return to the scene will very much depend on the gradual return to a new normal, travel policy, and athlete readiness. We are confident that Sporting Singapore will be able to make the necessary adjustments to fuel our enthusiasm and interest to play and cheer.

"Even before the circuit breaker measures, we saw how different genres of events started to adapt and we should be ready to reintroduce some of those adaptations and learn how to still enjoy the sense of community and camaraderie."