In June, Jersey Sport worked to facilitate an agreement with Public Health and the government which allowed specific athletes to continue training at a high intensity indoors despite guidance to the public preventing people from operating at such an intensity.
James Tilley, head of sport and children at Jersey Sport, said the dispensation which was put in place earlier this year still applies under the current climate which has resulted in the closure of all indoor sports facilities.
‘We have had confirmation from the relevant bodies that this dispensation still applies,’ he explained.
‘Both the criteria for exempt athletes and the restrictions which are in place for the facilities they operate at are very strict and this only applies to a small handful of individuals.’
Those who are able to train include athletes on the Commonwealth Games pathway for 2022, those on the Jersey Sport Foundation pathway and other athletes competing at Team GB level in Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.
Professional athletes whose livelihoods are effected are also exempt, including Jersey Reds.
Tilley said that similar exemptions for performance athletes are in place in other countries.
‘If we do not have a similar exemption in place to allow the very small number of performance athletes to train indoor then we will not be competitive,’ he said.
All athletes and the clubs they compete for must have in place the correct Covid-19 preventative measures in order to train. This includes distancing rules, correct ventilation within the facility, a limited of number of people in the room and other hygiene and PPE measures.
