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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
LOCAL sports retail shops are struggling to recover fully from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Demand for sporting equipment has gone down because of the lockdown regulations which have confined sports activities worldwide on the back foot.

Sports equipment providers, and clubs, who talked to The Herald, said things were still tough for the industry.

“We are happy that some sport codes, mainly non-contact sports, have been given the greenlight to resume operations but that has not made an impression,’’ said Ideal Svovanepasi, of Ideal Sports.

“We used to have a large clientele base, from team sports which are still to resume their activities, and that has impacted negatively on our part.

“There is some activity, of course, but it’s not that much.

“We are mostly supported by schools and clubs but, at the moment, they are not active, so it’s a challenge.’’

Inez Sports’ Moses Dhliwayo said they were now opening for reputation management as there wasn’t a lot of activity.

“We are under difficult times and we hope that things return to normalcy sooner rather than later,’’ he said.

“We are however concerned about the welfare of the people who support us.

“The desire to do business, as usual, is there but safety of athletes is also important and we need to consider that as well.’’

Beta Ball representative, Sheunesu Makudze, said things were at a standstill.

“We are experiencing tough times and we look forward to getting back to normalcy in the near future.

“There is need for support from the government as the sports codes, who support us the mos,t are still under the lockdown,” said Makudze.