But that doesn't mean we should not be sorely disappointed that Bathurst will not be given the chance to host the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) world cross country championships on Mount Panorama in March 2021, as had been planned.

More than 12 months of preparation and planning has gone into the event already and Bathurst was set to become just the second Australian city (after Sydney) to be given the honour of hosting an IAAF competition.

But an email to Bathurst Regional Council on Thursday evening confirmed what most must have already feared, that ongoing restrictions on international travel had simply made the championships unviable in the short-term.

That was certainly a blow to the local sporting community that had been looking forward to seeing some world-class athletes in action in our own backyard, and also to local businesses that would have enthusiastically welcomed the economic boost that 700 competitors, their supporters and media from across the world would have brought to our city for the week-long event.

Of course, it is also a blow to those athletes who have trained all their lives for the chance to compete in the world championships. For some, that chance might not come again - and nor might Bathurst's chance to host the championships.

While the event has officially been postponed at this stage, uncertainty over the future of international travel even in a post-COVID world will surely make organisers think twice about planning an event so far away in regional Australia - for the foreseeable future, at least.

We hope it's not the case, but the new world won't look like the old one for quite a while yet.