MEC Urges Communities To Stop Playing Amateur Sport
The Department continues to receive reports of sport events, especially football matches being played in many areas around KwaZulu-Natal, despite the restrictions on the playing of contact sport due to the Covid-19 regulations. Reports of people conducting unsanctioned training for other codes, including swimming have also been received.
MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation, Hlengiwe Mavimbela has called on communities to respect the lockdown regulations pertaining to the playing of sport.
“People who continue to organize sports matches and non-compliant training sessions must know that they are putting the lives of those young people and their parents at risk. We wish to remind them that playing of amateur sport, especially contact sport is still prohibited under the current lockdown regulations,” said MEC Mavimbela.
“With scientists predicting that the Province is heading into a storm as the number of Covid-19 cases are expected to rise exponentially over the coming weeks, it is important that we do not create conditions that can lead to massive infections.”
“We understand that people are anxious to get back to normal life, but this is not the right time to begin exposing ourselves. If we take action by respecting the lockdown regulations we will be able to save our lives and those of our families and life will slowly return to normal.
“The resumption of professional sport, including the Premier Soccer League, is done under very strict safety conditions to prevent the spread of the virus. This requires a lot of resources to ensure compliance. Amateur sport does not have the capacity to adhere to those strict regulations, hence it is unsafe to resume playing or training.
Athletes and players can still maintain their skills and fitness levels by engaging in individual drills and exercises that do not require close contact and groups,” she said.
“We continue to encourage communities to exercise as part of healthy lifestyles to help in boosting our immune system. However, in doing so we must follow the exercise guidelines by maintaining a social distance and avoiding groups.”
Notes
The resumption of sports is guided by the amended Directions for Sport, Arts and Culture under the Disaster Management Act No. 57 of 2002, as gazette by Minister Nathi Mthethwa, allowing sport, arts and cultural events to resume activity, subject to compliance with measures to prevent and combat the spread of COVID–19.
Among other things, the Directions include —
(i) Allowing non–contact sport to resume training and matches
(ii) Allowing contact sport to resume training only;
(iii) Opening the following places or premises like libraries, archives, museums, cinemas and theatres
These were to happen under strict health protocols, social distancing and adherence to permissible number of people. Guidelines and protocols were published to give guidance on the process to be followed by the sport federations/bodies, including lodging applications with the Minister with detailed plans on how the code would resume activity without compromising the objectives of the fight against Covid-19. National Federations/sports bodies had to lodge applications with National Minister, which include comprehensive plans on how they would deal with their return to play in line with Covid-19 regulations. Applications from provinces were channeled through national bodies
On 03 August 2020, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa announced the following, with regards to resumption of sport and recreation activities:
• From 11 June 2020, as part of the Government Level 3 Risk adjustment strategy the Minister gazetted Directions for the resumption of sporting activities, namely training or matches for non – contact professional sport and for the resumption of training for professional contact sport.
• The Directions required that sports bodies must ensure they submit plans that indicate the measures they will put in place before the resumption of activities.
• To date the Department received 75 applications from major sports bodies and approximately 580 from clubs, those in the business of sport, the fitness industry and also sport facilities and recreational organisations.
• Of the plans that were assessed over 46 sporting bodies received approval to resume activities. Athletics South Africa advised the Ministry that at this level, they will not be seeking approval to resume activities as they have conducted their own assessment against benchmarks and believe that it is not an appropriate stage to resume any activity.
• An internal monitoring team has been on the ground and monitored 11 of the PSL Football clubs who received permission to train. All teams have taken all necessary measures to comply with the plans they have submitted.
• The return to play by contact sport has been considered.