November 3: Melbourne Cup today .... without spectators!

Today's Melbourne Cup will be without its usual 100,000 spectators, because of Covid-19 restrictions. Our sporting world is fast becoming a virtual phenomenon. Even next year's Olympics in Japan, postponed from this year, face the prospect of empty stands.

Covid-19 is forcing us to rethink our values, to realise that human life is more important than anything else. That sport, while a good thing, is not the number one priority in this world.

The most important race is not the Melbourne Cup or the Olympic 100 metres, but the human race, the human family.

The foundation of human society is respect for human life. If we want to recover from Covid-19, we need to give top priority to caring for people, especially the poor.