UK Government outlines steps for safe training return

The UK Government says no professional athlete should be forced to return to training, stressing that choice should be "a personal one".

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) issued a document on Wednesday featuring guidance designed to allow each sport to make a risk assessment on when it is safe for training to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The document is not legally binding and does not replace any Government or Public Health England advice, but is rather a set of recommended minimum practice guidance on a return to training.

Proposed measures include a deep cleaning of facilities and a regular screening of athletes and staff for COVID-19 symptoms before and after they enter, expected to be carried out by an appropriately trained healthcare professional.

All athletes and support staff will be expected to engage in a one-to-one check-in prior to any resumption of organised training, to ensure they have understood the sport-specific risks and mitigations, training site protocols in place, and are physically and mentally well enough to proceed.

"I know our sports stars are keen to get back to training and this guidance will enable them to do so in a safe way," said Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for DCMS. "Our top priority is protecting the health of athletes, coaches and support staff.

Oliver Dowden is Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

"Enabling athletes to get match-fit is an important milestone towards 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 experts and when it is safe to do so."

The guidelines have been put together following consultation involving athletes, coaches, chief medical officers, chief executives, performance and operations directors across a range of Olympic, Paralympic and other professional sports.

Govt's two-step approach to training return

The DCMS document contains a two-step approach to a return to training that outlines how sports teams can phase out the process in full compliance with the Government's health guidelines.

Elite sports should ensure they seek independent advice from medical practitioners prior to any return to training - something which the Premier League has already done.

Step 1, which can be applied immediately, is a return to a level of organised individual training or groups of individual athletes training in the same facility while adhering to social distancing guidelines from the government.

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It can be applied immediately and has no timeframe, as some sports will return to training sooner than others.

Step 2 involves a level of 'social clustering' within the training environment, where small groups of athletes and staff can interact in much closer contact - such as close quarter coaching, teams sports tackling and equipment sharing.

"The additional guidance necessary for operating under step two will be finalised and communicated once when the government has agreed to move to this step, following advice from PHE and medical experts that it is safe to do so," the document said.

"Should a known or suspected COVID-19 case occur in the training environment or an individual be identified as a contact of a known case the individual/s in question should be placed in isolation and follow the PHE guidelines.

"The designated medical officer should be immediately informed if not involved with identifying and isolating the case at the training venue."

Source=skysports