Volunteers help calling off sporting event

CBVs persuade organisers, association to cancel Ramazan Floodlight Cricket and Soccer tournament

QUETTA: Social workers who participate in anti-polio drives conducted an effective awareness and advocacy campaign to convince the regional and local sports association to call of the key Ramazan Floodlight Cricket and Soccer tournament in view of coronavirus outbreak.

The event is held during the holy month every year and is a source of entertainment for the people of the province which injects enthusiasm among players and spectators. However, there was a threat of spread of the disease during the event.

In this situation, community based volunteers (CBV) – with the support of the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (Unicef) –played a vital role in advocacy and awareness of regional sports associations in Balochistan’s remote districts regarding the fatal virus.

Qilla Abdullah Regional Sports Committee Chairperson Abdul Wali Badezi released a video statement on social media and announced that the committee has decided to call off the event in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak in Balochistan.

“People of the district were eagerly waiting for Ramazan Floodlight Cricket and Soccer tournament but we have postponed the activities following the pandemic,” said Badezi, adding the polio workers through advocacy and support were helpful in protecting people from being infected for the virus.

Pakistan witnessed surge of active Covid-19 cases after local transmission of contagion throughout the country. The tally of confirmed cases surpassed 52,000 till the filing of the report with more than 1,000 patients succumbing to the disease. Balochistan has reported 3,000 confirmed cases with 39 deaths.

According to data collected thorough regional and local sports associations, there were 67 activities scheduled under the sports event in six districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Qilla Abdullah, Pishin, Mastung, Naushki and Chaghi districts with average of 2,500 spectators for each game.

“Regional sports associations in Balochistan have never thought to cancel Ramazan sports tournaments particularly night games but the successful advocacy regarding implications of crowded gatherings during COVID-19 pandemic persuaded the associations and they cancelled all activities,” said Emergency Operation Center Communication Officer Abdul Basit.

Around 200 players from other districts were due to participate in the tournaments, he added.

Besides administering anti-polio drops campaign across Balochistan, polio workers actively participated in awareness campaigns to assist the provincial health department in eliminating the contagion.

Pishin Cricket Association President Habibur Rehman lauded the support of the CBV in launching awareness campaigns among local players and spectators to suspend sports tournaments in Ramazan during eminent threat of novel coronavirus.

“We had announced to cancel all official and private tournaments in Ramazan in district Pishin after receiving thorough briefing by polio workers. They told us that 94 per cent cases in our province are locally transmitted,” said Habibur Rehman.

While the process of inventing the virus vaccines in ongoing, he maintained, social distancing and safety precautions are the vital tools against the spread of the virus. Health experts were opposing public congregations and large gatherings since the rise of positive virus cases in Balochistan.

They predict that the total number of positive patients across the province is expected to cross a tally of 1.1 million by second week of July while the number might surpass 9.1 million till December.

UNICEF Anti-Polio Programme’s Communication for Development Specialist Shahpur Suleman said in view of the threat, they identified local sports association with the help of local influencers and informed them about rapid increase of Covid-19 cases due to gatherings and lack of precautions.

“Ramazan floodlight tournaments involve movement of local population from different remote villages of Balochistan. Therefore we informed them the safety would be at risk through the event,” said Shahpur, adding the CBVs have been actively involved in the Covid-19 response from the beginning.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2020.