SHANE McGRATH
Brexit brio sinks UK
NOT many people are as clever as Bill Gates. It is six years since he warned that the world was unprepared for precisely the kind of crisis that is currently forcing drastic measures on governments around the planet. ‘If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades,’ he said in a TED talk in 2014, ‘it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus, rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes.’
A man doesn’t become a billionaire by chance, and with his fortune made, Gates turned his intellect towards charity through a foundation that supports causes including health research around the world.
It is not surprising, then, that he anticipated the chaos wrought by the coronavirus with such terrifying speed.
But one doesn’t need his brains, his wealth or the vast resources of his foundation to understand that current circumstances are grave.
And in a sporting context, organisations in this country have generally responded impressively to the stark demands made of the Irish people by the Taoiseach on Thursday morning.
It was unsurprising to see Dublin GAA pre-empt the leadership of the wider organisation in cancelling its events hours before the same edict came from Croke Park.
This was another small indication of why theirs is the most efficient and successful unit of the association.
The GAA leadership generally had been consistent throughout the week in noting that it would follow the advice of State authorities, and it was inevitable for days that the final rounds of the Allianz Leagues would succumb to the need to protect public safety where possible.
They are not the only organisation now facing enormous logistical issues, and while these concerns may pale compared to the far graver toll the virus is extracting in other aspects of life, they are nonetheless significant.
But in wiping their programme for the coming weeks – and likely well beyond that – the GAA, like the IRFU, the FAI and less prominent sports in the country abided by expert advice.
This is simple common-sense – which looks precious compared to the pitiful mess unravelling in Britain.
Irish sport has taken its lead from central Government, which is where the British problems start.
One of the many downsides of the Blimpish nationalism manifested in Brexit and strategised by Boris Johnson is a determination to muddle on in the face of adversity.
This is what happens when politicians use the spirit of the Blitz as an ideal, and it leads to shameful decisions such as allowing Cheltenham to go ahead.
In time, that particular call will go down in infamy. The possible Irish repercussions should not be overlooked, either, given the large number of Irish visitors to the Festival, celebrating remarkable trainers, jockeys and horses but also, in many cases, their own ability to drink and gamble.
We are, at least, being spared the usual orgy of self-congratulation that accompanies the Irish contribution to Cheltenham.
Organisers insist they were following the advice of the British Government to carry on as normal, but that is to suppose that racing authorities cannot assess the evidence for themselves, or seek wider medical advice.
There is plenty of it in the British press pointing out the madness of the decision, after all.
Personal responsibility is also a factor here, too, which particularly applies to the thousands of Irish people who have streamed back through our ports and airports all weekend.
The consequences of their determination to have a good time could be very significant.
Up to 9.30pm on Thursday night, the Premier League was going ahead this week as planned.
It took the announcement that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had been diagnosed with the virus to prompt a reassessment, and the inevitable cancellation of matches on Friday morning.
Organisers of all tournaments should have acted days ago. The Manchester derby and the Liverpool-Atletico Madrid fixtures brought tens of thousands together.
Efforts were made by the British authorities to suggest that discouraging mass public gatherings was not an effective way of checking the spread of the coronavirus – a position that contrasts with the one adopted by governments all over the world.
The financial might of English soccer seems to have been a more powerful influence in their considerations.
It has been suspected for weeks that the aim of the Premier League was to get enough matches played to see Liverpool confirmed as league winners.
But ending a 30-year wait for the title, whatever its global popularity, should mean nothing in this time.
Sport is important, but those running it must understand it is disposable in the midst of a worldwide crisis.