Paul Jonas has been slowed down by a very unpleasant fall.
Publicity photo
Ilmārs Stūriška, “Latvijas Avīze”, JSC “Latvijas Mediji”
The rehabilitation phase of Latvia’s strongest motocross rider Paul Jonas will last for at least two months after the fall, the athlete’s manager Kristers Serģis told “Latvijas Avīze”.
Still in the hospital
Before the Midsummer celebration, Jonas experienced a fall in training in Saldus, sustaining serious injuries – three broken ribs and a traumatized spine. “I was injured in the warm-up laps, there was no overdoing. The equipment got worse and it fell, the track was very hard – in the language of motorcyclists, these are called concrete. If such a fall were on a sandy track, the consequences would be smaller, ”said Serģis.
No surgery was needed, but Jonas is still in the hospital and rehabilitation could begin tomorrow under medical supervision. Yesterday, additional investigations were carried out in an attempt to find out if there were any other injuries that were not immediately noticed.
“The fall was very severe and the injuries were painful. Talking to him on Saturday, slowly getting better. In general, the situation is not pleasant, able to move, but mostly sleeps. It is too early to talk about sports goals at the moment, we must first regain health, ”pointed out Kristers Serģis. Doctors’ initial forecast is that the rehabilitation will last eight to ten weeks, so the stage of the world championship in Ķegums on August 9 is likely to end.
Deficit in the budget
The current plan envisages that the season will resume with the Latvian stage, and work is underway to complete two stages at once in Ķegums. “It is necessary to understand how the competition can be organized, if at all.
I wrote to Infront already in April – if there are problems with the number of stages, it is possible to do another one in Ķegums, saving team expenses, and also because there are countries where Covid-19 does not allow to organize. This initiative was supported and is starting to look more and more realistic.
I would like to wait for the final decision until the end of this week, because then there will actually be a month left until the matches, ”admitted the organizer of the Latvian stage Kristers Serģis.
The question is more than an answer at the moment: “First of all, it is necessary to understand from the Ministry of Health and other state institutions on what terms they are willing to take such an event. A large number of foreign athletes and service staff will come together, we have a plan not to let them with the fans.
Currently 1000 spectators are allowed, the track is divided into sectors. Will there be more in August? Also – who will cover the organizational costs – “Infront” or someone else. We used to do this mainly from ticket revenues, which have now fallen many times over. ”
He has not requested additional state support.
“In my opinion, it would not be right to ask a state that has already allocated money for a license fee. Yes, the course of the MXGP stage will resonate in the world of motocross and additionally remind that Latvia has successfully coped with the coronavirus and is one of the first countries ready to host the world championship stage, moreover, perhaps historic, because two were not in one.
However, I don’t think we should ask for money from the state budget, I try to understand how to do everything differently. ” However, he did not want to reveal the approximate amount of uncovered funds.
At present, it is not yet guaranteed that at least one stage will take place – both in connection with financial uncertainties and health security. “The situation in the post-Christmas period will be monitored by how conscientious people have been.
Maybe there will be an outbreak and we will have to go back to the trenches again, ”Kristers Serģis remains cautious.
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