Bio Bubbles: What are they and what exactly is bio-bubble fatigue?

The covid bio bubble has been the talk of the sporting world ever since April 2020. Sporting events across the world have had to go to extreme lengths to make bio bubble arrangements for athletes. Chris Gayle has withdrawn from the IPL citing fatigue caused due to the bio bubble. He is not the first athlete to do so and will definitely not be the last in all sporting events across the world. But what exactly is a bio bubble in the world of sport?

What is a bio-bubble?

Simply put, a bio bubble is a cordoned off area for players and staff in a team, to protect them from being infected with Covid 19. This area is usually a few selected zones such as a hotel, stadium, residence or any structure where the athletes presence is required. For eg. in the IPL, the athletes are only take to the hotel and the stadium. They are not allowed to meet visitors, shoot advertisements, leave the hotel etc. This also involves regular Covid testing and health check ups for players at certain times.

What is bio-bubble fatigue?

Naturally interpreting what a bio bubble is, one can infer that players will eventually get tired of the same routine and lack of activity. The duration of a bio bubble begins from a few days before the team arrives for training till the end of the tournament. The routine is repetitive and mentally taxing because the players are literally in one area for several days. Coupled with this, if there are bad performances or team infighting, the situation becomes worse. This causes tiredness or fatigue which affects the players mentally more than physically. Hence, the term has been coined as bio-bubble fatigue and is seen as the main reason behind why players drop out of tournaments.