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People who attend Žalgiris’s home game know exactly what to do when a lively drummer or a big heart appears in the sand bucket video. Viewers then start clapping their hands and dancing to the beat, kissing or embarrassingly showing that they are not going to show their feelings in public.
Triples released this season
It is a classic of sports competitions from the United States to Russia, recognizable and fun for thousands of fans around the world.
Spectators gathered at the Žalgiris Arena on Saturday became familiar with the new video cube attraction and it didn’t take long to understand what it meant.
In the second half of the match, a woman was shown on a giant screen hanging over the field. She was sitting alone, surrounded on all sides by empty black chairs and – oh, gods! – She was without a mask.
“Put on a mask,” read a message on the screen, next to which was an animated medical mask.
Until the woman noticed that she was receiving the attention of the entire arena, she heard a shout from more than one spectator in her direction with the same call to cover her face.
This is a moment that would have been misunderstood half a year ago, but now it’s completely natural. 2020 is unforgiving for the sports world, but what we see this weekend at the Žalgiris Arena should become a new reality next season.
Nearly 3,000 people have gathered for the first match since the worldwide coronavirus pandemic was declared on March 12, halting thousands of sporting events.
The LKL ended its season the day after the pandemic was announced, and a couple of months later the Euroleague followed suit. The national championships of Spain, Germany and Israel returned to the streets in summer, but without spectators. In addition to the fans, the NBA fights that have been unfolding in the Orlando bubble since late July have been revived.
Massive events have become unimaginable in many places, but at the same time intimidating even when allowed to take place. Perhaps that is why there were more unsold tickets than sold at the Žalgiris Arena on Saturday (according to current rules, the Žalgiris Arena could accommodate around 7,000 spectators).
This weekend’s event at Žalgiris Arena is closely watched not only by the leaders of the Euroleague and other clubs in this league, but also by those fans who have doubts about attending public events. This is a great test that can answer the question of whether such events are possible in these times and conditions.
Answering if it’s safe is too early, but at least Saturday’s example shows that acting wisely, sports, and spectators are not mission impossible.
Absolutely everyone who entered the arena had their temperature measured, masks are mandatory even before entering the arena space. Areas of the arena, from the handrails to the handles to the tables, are constantly being sanitized, one in every two chairs is covered with black tape, and fans are unable to bring drinks or food to their places.
And everything worked. Of course this is just an event so no big conclusions can be drawn, but being in the arena makes you feel safe.
“It’s a lot of fun playing with the fans,” said Martin Schiller, Žalgiris coach, after their win over Panathinaikos in Athens. – The arena, of course, is not as crowded as usual, but there was a very loud and fun atmosphere. It’s good that there are a lot of people here, we’re happy for the support. “
Lithuania, which allows spectators at public events, is one of the pioneers in this world. On the numerical side, even the most liberal rules in the world apply here, but in general, the spectators in the stands are no longer as unimaginable as they were a few months ago.
In the United States, at least six American football (NFL) teams begin the season by taking spectators to the stadium bleachers. These are outdoor events and the number of spectators at them is more strictly limited, but the prevalence of the virus in the United States is much higher.
Last season’s champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, played their first game of the season on Friday backed by about 16,000. fans. That is about 20 percent. possible stadium occupation.
20-25 percent. Employment is also planned by other teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Indianapolis Colts or the Dallas Cowboys.
The English Premier League also says it wants to allow clubs to host around 1,000 fans, but has yet to agree with the country’s authorities.
These two leagues are one of the largest and most financially successful in the world, costing hundreds of millions of dollars and pounds a month in the absence of fans.
In basketball, where the money is not that high, the arenas are also opening little by little. The current Italian Super Cup can fill 25%. places.
However, this is more of an exception than a rule. As teams and leagues find solutions for spectators, the great European basketball continues to hang under a huge question mark. With just over two weeks before the start of the new Euroleague season, the teams still don’t know if they will be able to get off to a smooth start.
One thing is obvious. It is enough to register one or more cases of coronary rush between players to cancel the match.
Even if everyone on the team is healthy, movement between countries is still problematic. It is not yet known how the Euroleague teams will be able to move from point A to point B.
“There are countries where you need permission to come,” explained Ettore Messina, coach of AX Armani Exchange in Milan. – There are rumors that Israel will close. There are countries where you will have to quarantine them when they return. This is a changing situation. We will need a lot of flexibility, cooperation between clubs and leadership of the Euroleague ”.
“We don’t know how we will travel, how we will go to countries where the coronavirus situation is worse,” said Georgios Vovor, a strategist at Panathinaika in Athens. – We do not know what will happen if we have a case in the team or if it is in the rival team. We need to know how we will behave. The thing is, we have to find a way to play. “
At this week’s remote Euroleague leaders meeting, an Olympia representative in Piraeus offered clubs an agreement with their governments to facilitate travel for clubs participating in the Euroleague.
Therefore, Žalgiris is calm: the country’s government has established a procedure that facilitates the arrival of professional sports teams and does not force them to be quarantined if coronavirus tests are carried out before travel and only after arrival.
In other countries, this is still being talked about and no one can say if the Euroleague season will really start on October 1 without interruption.
It is practically certain that basketball will take place in one way or another, it will only be necessary to adapt to the new reality.
“It will take a lot of work to find solutions,” Messina said. – We must be open to, for example, a judge traveling with a team, because another way of traveling will be impossible. Or have the match be judged by a local referee. Normal standards may not work, but our goal is for the fans to be in the arenas and enjoy basketball. “
It sounds like a cliché, but these days it’s becoming especially obvious: basketball, like any other sport that is played for fans. The emotions of the fans in the stands are an integral part of the sport.
And if that means wearing a mask and sitting in a chair even the one closest to you, that’s the least problem. Hopefully these measures will work.
“In this situation, it is difficult to predict what will happen, because almost everyone who predicted was wrong,” summed up 73-year-old chief strategist among Euroleague coaches, Aito Garcia Renaissance. “I hope it’s the best it can be, but I don’t know.”
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