Guidance has been published which will allow for the first stage of a return to training for performance athletes, coaches and support staff.
Active Scotland and sportscotland have been working closely with partners over recent weeks to develop the guidance, appropriate to Scotland, which follows the route-map through and out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publication of the new guidance follows on from the announcement of the move into Phase One of the route-map on 28 May when a number of outdoor sports were given approval to issue guidance to their communities to allow appropriate activities to take place as part of daily exercise.
The guidance for performance athletes allows for engagement in outdoor, individual or group training, with appropriate social distancing and health and hygiene measures in place. It will also allow travel to outdoor training sites beyond the current Scottish Government guideline of broadly 5 miles.
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, said:
"We all want to see sport return as soon as it is safe to do so but the most pressing priority at this time remains public health and wellbeing.
"We have been working closely with our partners including the Scottish Government and SGBs to develop guidance, appropriate to Scotland, which follows the route-map through and out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Following the announcement of the move into Phase One of the route-map on 28 May, a number of outdoor non-contact sports were given approval to issue guidance to their communities to allow appropriate physical activity and exercise to take place. Our collective ambition has always been to progress both community and performance sport simultaneously and approval has now been given to allow commencement of the first stage of a return to professional/performance sport for athletes, coaches and support staff.
"This will allow engagement in outdoor, individual or group training, with appropriate physical distancing and health and hygiene measures in place. It will also allow travel to outdoor training sites beyond the current Scottish Government guideline of broadly five miles. These measures are very positive steps forward for the sport sector as we seek to rebuild our systems at all levels. Alongside our partners we will continue to play our part to ensure the transition back to sport, both in local communities and at a performance level, is as safe and effective as possible."
Find out more
The detailed guidance can be viewed on the sportscotland website.
