Pune’s Horse Racing Programmes Cancelled Due To COVID Pandemic
Muneer Mirza
Pune, August 14, 2020: The Royal Western Turf Club had stopped all activities at Pune Race Course after the first lockdown was imposed. With the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic starting to peak in the state, racing without spectators too is not likely to start before November. The Union Sports Ministry has made it clear that no sporting activity will be allowed in the next two months, and that includes the horse-racing.
The moment the decision-makers of the club got the news that Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju’s team was serious, and that they needed to toe the line, the mandarins of the premier club decided to cancel the racing programme’s Pune Season while keeping a designated mini-season up their sleeve.
It is just not going to work simply because the government is under intense pressure to help and support the crumbling state health care structure. The focus is to stop the microscopic monster in its track and certainly not provide the go-ahead for horses to start racing on the track.
