The University of Johannesburg (UJ) netball team is warming up its court for the Inaugural league opening tournament which will take place on  22 March 2021.

With safety being the number one priority, the team is aware that Covid-19 restrictions will determine whether the match takes place or not.

“We can’t wait to welcome all our 2021 members and open the club league!”

In a male-dominated industry, for women to gain recognition; over the years they had to beat the odds and pave way for upcoming sports enthusiasts.

We see many women breaking the norm, and one of these women is Caitlyn MacNab.

At 18, being a golf player and one of South Africa’s emerging athletes; she’s already represented South Africa in several top tournaments around the world.

“The Emerging Athlete of the Year finalist had a blistering start to 2020, winning the Aon South African Stroke Play Championship and Amateur Championships – a rare feat to reach in the same calendar year”

Caitlyn MacNab Calls for More High Profile Golf Events in the Country

Nominated as a finalist in the Emerging athlete of the Year category, representing GolfRSA alongside the Women’s Golf South Africa President Sarah Braude in the Momentum gsport15 awards, MacNab is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

“I definitely think that SA has a very high standard of players. I do, however, believe that women’s golf in SA could grow in leaps and bounds if we held tournaments where overseas players could come and test their skills on some of our beautiful courses up against our own field of players.” – Top-ranked amateur golfer, Caitlyn Macnab.

With the sports industry preparing to adjust back to action, there has been concerns around health precautions to be taken during the preparation stage.

Researchers at the University of Pretoria have been looking for solutions which might assist gym bunnies and sports enthusiasts to take better precautions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although wearing masks might be challenging, according Professor Christa Janse van Rensburg, head of Sports Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Dr Jessica Hamuy Blanco it is advisable to keep using cloth masks during exercise.

“This recommendation is based on the concept of ‘source control’ to prevent droplets produced by the person wearing the mask from spreading to other people or onto surfaces. It is much easier to reduce droplet spread by blocking larger droplets as they come out of a person’s mouth, than it is to block them once they have dissipated and become much smaller.”

In cases where the person has a febrile illness, Prof van Rensburg and Dr Blanco advised that no exercising should be done at all , especially with a mask on.

“When a person is ill and has a fever, there are various physiological mechanisms at play that will increase the risk of serious complications if the person exercises. A fever occurs as a result of an altered temperature in response to illness. This can affect the body’s appropriate temperature regulation during physical activity and increases the chances of dangerous complications such as heatstroke. Both illness and physical activity, particularly at high intensities, are a source of physiological stress on the body. When the two occur concurrently, there is potential for a multitude of complications in almost every organ system. These include an increased risk of skeletal muscle breakdown, electrolyte abnormalities, hyper-responsive airways, altered heart rhythms, and increased risk of sudden cardiac death,” she said.

Dr Blanco said that while it was almost impossible to determine what the future will hold in the world of sports, it is important to adapt and roll with the punches.

“I think one of the biggest ways in which sport may change, at least for the foreseeable future, is that we will have to sacrifice some of sport’s entertainment value for the sake of safety. We have to do our part to limit public exposure as much as possible. Fans who hope to attend live sporting competitions may have to wait a while before being able to do so. Technology will have to play a bigger role than before and could open up new revenue streams as income from ticket sales will inevitably decrease. For the financial model of the professional sporting world to survive, there are going to have to be new, innovative ways to engage with consumers. Professional sport involves a lot of travel to and from events, and this will have to be appropriately adapted to limit viral spread. Regulations will have to be closely adhered to,” she said.

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