Beach sports events canned due to restrictions

All beach-related races organised by ZSports Events would be cancelled following the announcement that all beaches in the Eastern Cape would be closed to the public,  Michael Zoetmulder of ZSports said on Tuesday.

Zoetmulder said he had no choice but to cancel a number of events which were set to take place across the back end of December and in early January.

With Nelson Mandela Bay being declared a Covid-19 “hotspot” nationally, President Cyril Ramaphosa imposed additional restrictions which saw all beaches closed from December 16 to January 3.

Zoetmulder said while he supported the decisions taken to protect lives, he did not necessarily agree with all the regulations.

“This decision has a massive impact on our business and future.

“We support it, it was the right decision, but not on its own.

“Beaches, taverns and bars should all have been shut down with immediate effect, but as long as you have the taverns and bars open in the evenings, it is a waste of time,” he said.

Zoetmulder said the Triathlon Summer Series, which is also a beach event, would be changed to a duathlon series which meant it could still take place.

“It is not very appealing, but we’re converting it to a duathlon. We are able to do that.

“We are yet to hear how this new rule impacts our river events, as we have not heard any regulations on using rivers,” he said.

Asked if the events would be rescheduled, Zoetmulder said the new season’s calendar could not handle any more events.

“It will have to be cancelled because there is simply no space on the calendar to host any additional events.

“If 2021 does get back to some kind of normalcy at some stage, there are already events scheduled for February,” he said.

Zoetmulder was hoping for more stringent lockdown regulations as the country continues to fight the battle against the virus.

“I have personally felt the effects of this virus, so we want to stand behind all the decisions that are made.

“We wished everything was closed down last night, lock, stock and barrel, gone back into total lockdown to try and get rid of this thing.

“But we have still got to make a livelihood at the end of the day,” he said.

Zoetmulder’s appeal to residents of the Bay was simple: “Please abide by all legislation, whether you believe in it or not.

“If we all listen to what is being said, we have a hope that something will happen. If everyone abides by the regulations we will have a glimmer of hope.”

Meanwhile, the first round of the Triathlon Summer Series took place on Sunday with Keegan Cooke      [00:58:29], Cody Coombe-Davis  [01:01:34] and Raynard Tissink [01:02:27] rounding out the men’s podium, while Jordan Tissink [01:12:43], Pauline Tunstead [01:16:35] and Claire White [01:17:26] completed the women’s top spots.

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