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Sports Reporter
YOUTH, Sport, Arts, and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry has clarified how sport will resume and insisted medium and high-risk sport still have to follow the Sports Commission standard operating procedures.
Cabinet announced yesterday that all sport has resumed following further relaxation of Covid-19 measures.
Minister Coventry today unpacked the roadmap for sport resumption during a media briefing at her offices.
Coventry revealed that sport was returning in a staggered format and said football will kick-off with the Premier Soccer League and the women’s league.
The Sports Commission availed the health procedures on Monday and expects associations to agree to the conditions before resuming sport.
She said ZIFA have already agreed on the operating procedures with the Sports Commission and all is set for their resumption.
Minister Coventry said they are not fully operating everything at the same time and spectators are still not allowed.
Regarding the gyms, Minister Coventry requested all the gyms to register with the Sports Commission.
However, she said those who have complied will be operating from as early as tomorrow.
“In terms of the gyms, I am requesting that all gyms, please to register with the SRC so that we can update the gyms, as we move along, as we progress, especially when it comes to the SOPs, there are very specific SOPs that Government has put into place, that will allow for the safety of gyms as well as medium and high-risk sport to resume.
“So please, we want to work hand in hand, this is a really good achievement, this is something that we know the sports federations, the football clubs, the gym owners, have often requested and asking for, but it comes with some responsibility and those responsibilities are the standard operations procedures. So we are just requesting all gyms to please get in contact with the Sports Commissioin so that they can let you know what those SOPs are and how best to follow them,” she said.
The Minister also said the national associations should observe the curfew time with sport operating time set for from 6am to 8pm.
Those who flout the operating times would be closed.
The key standard operating procedures are testing required within every 14 days of training and once competitive league resumes, testing should be done for all players and officials, at least 48 hours, prior to competitions.
Online Reporter