The UK athletes starved of training and competition due to covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown will have a sigh of relief, as UK government gave them go-ahead to resume training yesterday.
The approval for professional sportsmen and women to resume training is with immediate effect but with must to undergo ” a 1:1 check-in” with medical expert before resumption.
Athletes are allowed to formally “opt in” to a return to training which for now will be done individually and with physical distancing measure maintained.
The news of training resumption gladden the heart of the secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, who said it was a significant step towards a safe resumption of live sport behind closed doors.
“I know our sports are keen to get back to training and this guidance will enable them to do so in a safe way”, Dowden said.
“Our top priority is protecting the health of athletes, coaches and support staff. Enabling athletes to get match-fit is an important milestone toward restarting competitive sport behind closed doors- but we have not given a green light yet. We are clear that this can only happen on the advice of medical expert and when it is safe to do so”.
In main time, the UK Sport chief executive, Sally Munday, who led the working group that established the guidelines, reiterated athletes should return only if they felt it was safe to do so.
Under the new rules each club and sport will have to name a covid-19 officer responsible for oversight of risk assessment that each sport will have to make.
“It’s important to note that the publication of this guidance does not mean that all Olympics and Paralympics sports and athletes should return to training straight away”, Munday added. “Each Sport will need to make a risk assessments against the guidance and determine what is best for both their athletes and staff”.
