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Covid 19 - Return to Sport Expert Group Release - June 6th 2020

Expert Group Statement on Return to Sport Guidance for Outdoor Sports and Fitness - Saturday June 6th 2020


national sports institute paris june 2020 Photo: Getty Images - Post COVID-19 Lockdown scene Institute of Sport, Paris

 

Expert Group Statement on Return to Sport Guidance for Outdoor Sports and Fitness

Recognising that organised sports and fitness activities are permitted in outdoor settings for groups of up to 15 people from next Monday, the Expert Group on Return to Sport would advise organisers to consider the following guidance. This guidance should not be considered exhaustive, and organisers are advised to consult other official sources, in particular the advice published by the HSE.


• In advance of the activity, participants should be asked to travel to the activity venue alone or with members of the same household. Sharing transport is not advised in this Phase of the Roadmap.


• Encourage participants not to congregate at the beginning or end of the activity. Ask participants to arrive as close as possible to the activity start time, or to wait in their cars until the activity begins.


• Participants should be asked to bring their own water bottles, towels and where possible personal equipment, and instructed not to share these with others. Personal equipment should only be shared with people from the same household.


• Participants should be asked to wash hands on arrival, if possible, or to use hand sanitiser. If it is not possible to provide hand sanitiser at your location, participants should be asked to bring their own hand sanitiser with them.


Individual equipment provided to participants should be cleaned and sanitised before and after each activity session. It is recommended that time is scheduled between sessions to enable thorough cleaning and sanitisation to be conducted.


Sharing of equipment should be avoided wherever possible, as it is generally not permitted in this Phase of the Roadmap. If absolutely necessary, equipment should be cleaned and sanitised between use.


Participants should be spaced appropriately to maintain a minimum 2 metre physical distancing throughout the activity. Depending on the nature of the activity, it may be necessary to leave more space between participants.


• Participants should be encouraged to adopt good respiratory hygiene, covering their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze, and using a tissue which is immediately disposed of. Further guidance on hygiene and social distancing is available from www.hse.ie/covid19


• All participants should be advised to stay home if they feel unwell, and to consult their GP. If a participant becomes unwell during the activity, they should be isolated from other participants and return home as soon as possible.


The Expert Group emphasises that indoor sporting facilities are not permitted to reopen during this Phase of the Roadmap. All activity should be in outdoor facilities; the use of showers and changing facilities should not be permitted.


The Expert Group also recommends that organisers maintain an electronic record of all participants for all sessions, with contact details. This will help to facilitate contact tracing in the event that a participant becomes ill with COVID-19.

 

 

Queries Concerning Aspects of Resumption - Who to Ask

Cork Athletics County Board has received a number of COVID-19 related queries, ranging from athletes asking what they must do to comply with the on-going updates to COVID-19 advisory notices from HSE & Athletics Ireland, to clubs concerned about Juvenile athletes, and group runs.

All such queries should be directed, in the first instance, to your own Club's COVID-19/Safety Officer, who will advise as to what protocols have been developed for YOUR Club.

If a club has not appointed a Club's COVID-19/Safety Officer and/or has not developed COVID-19 Protocols and Risk Assessments, then they may NOT resume club activities.  Athletics Ireland Insurance is NOT active in such circumstances.

All club activities must also be logged, with all participants's contact information up-to-date, so that effective and timely contact tracing can be carried out, should it be required.

Athletics Ireland has developed a FREE online booking system which can be used to facilitate clubs.
NOTE: The system is currently set up for a maximum of 4 people in each group. This will be changed to 15 max, from next week, when Phase 2 commences.  You will also need your AAI Life Registration Number, in order to make your booking. If you don't know this, you should contact your own Club Registrar.

 

Mardyke Track ReOpening

mardyke arena

 

In the summer months, UCC hopes to reopen the Mardyke track to Registered Clubs and Registered Users only, along with College students and staff. There will be an electronic portal trackside, where each authorised user will 'Tag In'/'Tag Out'.  The precise timeline for ReOpening has not been established yet, but UCC are actively working towards ReOpening.


Existing Race Permits
Athletics Ireland will be issuing a statement regarding permits shortly. Currently NO new permits are being considered, processed or issued.

A relatively large number of permits, issued before the COVID-19 crisis, are still in force. Many events have already cancelled, with some organisers, particularly those with events later in the year, are holding back on decisions, likely hoping that the situation changes.

However a small number of events appear to be going ahead, even though such gatherings would contravene HSE, Sport Ireland and AAI guidelines. All clubs and event organisers are reminded that AAI insurance, and, almost certainly, all insurance policies will NOT cover events that contravene guidelines in force at the time. The forthcoming Athletics Ireland statement on Permits should provide clarity on the situation.

Separately, Athletics Ireland has told Cork Athletics that it "does not see a return to competition before the autumn", and that "the first events are likely to be smaller ones, and 'down the country', in controlled situations" (e.g. on athletic tracks, or cross-country. In both situations, access and recording of details of those present can be recorded relatively easily, and numbers controlled also.

 

Please, please abide by the spirit of the HSE guidelines.

 

Related Articles

Covid 19 - Athletics Ireland Statement re Phase 2 - June 5th 2020

 

Covid 19 - Athletics Ireland Statement - June 2nd 2020

 

Covid 19 - Serious Training Issues

 

Re-Starting Clubs - Covid-19 Update May 9th 2020

 

Covid 19 and Long Runs or Long Periods in Public

 

Update - Athletics Ireland Events and Covid 19 Coronavirus - March 24th

 

Update - Athletics Ireland Events and Covid 19 Coronavirus - March 12th

 

Athletics Ireland Events and Covid 19 Coronavirus - March 7th

 

Practical Guide for Clubs Returning to Athletics following the Covid-19 Restrictions during Phase 2 ofthe Roadmap for ReOpening Society

 

Always follow the Government Guidelines of


Good Hand Hygiene - Respiratory Etiquette - Social Distancing


About Us

Cork Athletics County Board is a constituent member of Athletics Ireland. Cork Athletics is the governing body, administering athletics, track and field (T&F), cross-country (XC) and running in county Cork. The Board comprises elected representatives of constituent athletic clubs and running clubs. Cork County Board AAI organises Championship races and competition, including road, track & field (T&F) and Cross-country (XC), at junior, juvenile, senior and masters levels, and selects representation for the county. In addition, training and education is provided for coaches and officials. The Board also regulates the Athletics Ireland race/event permit (licence) process for county Cork.
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