Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
With the entire globe struggling to cope with the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the sporting world too has come to a standstill. But that hasn’t deterred the fraternity from coming together and doing their bit for the cause.
Till now more than 500,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported worldwide with the number of deaths exceeding 24,000.
In these tough times, sportstars from all across the world are doing their best to provide all the necessary aid to defeat this global health crisis.
Leading the cause are the two modern day legends of world football – Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Messi made a large donation of around 1 million euros to the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and also to hospitals in Argentina. Meanwhile, Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes also donated one million euros to fund intensive care units in hospitals in Lisbon and Porto.
Closer home in India, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far claimed 19 Indian lives.
According to a PTI report, Tendulkar decided to contribute Rs 25 lakh each to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund on 27 March.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina pledged Rs 52 lakh in the fight against coronavirus. While he is set to give Rs 31 lakh to the PM-CARES Fund, he will hand Rs 21 lakh to the UP CMs Disaster Relief Fund.
MS Dhoni also made a contribution of Rs 1 lakh through a Pune-based NGO to support 100 families of daily wages earners in Pune, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan contributed an undisclosed amount to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund
Brothers Yusuf and Irfan Pathan also did their bit by donating 4,000 face masks to Baroda police and health department.
But before their Indian counterparts, the Bangladeshi and Pakistani cricketers led by example.
According to a report in Dhaka Tribune, a total of 27 cricketers, including 17 players contracted with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), decided to give half of their monthly salaries to the government to fight the disease. The list also included 10 players who have represented the national team in the past.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s centrally-contracted cricketers collectively contributed around Rs 24 lakh (converted to INR) to the national government’s emergency fund to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sri Lankan cricketers also made contributions for the purchase of essential medical equipment to support the fight against coronavirus in their country.
But before the Indian cricketers it was champion wrestler Bajrang Punia who led the cause in the country. Bajrang, who works with the railways as Officer on Special Duty (OSD, decided to donate his six months’ salary to Haryana government’s coronavirus relief fund.
Reigning badminton world champion PV Sindhu also donated Rs 5 lakh each to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Chief Minister Relief Funds. Young Indian sprinter Hima Das also pledged to donate her one month's salary to Assam's COVID-19 relief fund.
Meanwhile, international tennis superstars Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic also pledged their support for the cause.
On Wednesday, Federer donated around 1 million euros for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland during the COVID-19 crisis.
Serbian world no 1 Novak Djokovic also donated 1 million euros to help his country buy equipment required to combat coronavirus. Djokovic said he wanted the funds to be used for the purchase of ventilators and other medical equipment.
With new cases being recorded every minute, it looks like it would be tough battle against the coronavirus pandemic but with support pouring in, we can hope that not only India but all affected nations will soon overcome these tough times.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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