Sporting Activities: Ministry submits Covid-19 Sports Code and resumption protocol to NASS, PTF

Sporting Activities: Ministry submits Covid-19 Sports Code and resumption protocol to NASS, PTF

By Niyi Busari

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports development, Friday submitted the hard copy of a well researched and properly designed Covid-19 Sports Code and resumption protocol to the National assembly and the presidential task force on Covid-19.

This document if approved, will pave way for the gradual resumption of selected sporting activities after over 3-months of abrubt stop occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic which has put the world at a standstill in the last few months.

Sports minister, Sunday Dare said that the objective of the Covid-19 sport code and protocol is to provide a Covid-19 infrastructure and standard operational procedure to regulate the practice of sports in Nigeria.

The ministry has also put in place a central coordinating and working committee to work hand in hand with the state cordinating and working committee in ensuring proper coordination, devoid of lapses, taking into consideration the paramount importance of lives of athletes and officials at this critical period.

This document which took the ministry 5-weeks to put together, is very dynamic and subject to review as soon as more evidences and scientific based knowledge on the Covid-19 pandemic becomes available.

In the proposal, the Ministry is cautious of the risk involved in this decision and has taken stringent measures at ensuring that they block all possible loopholes.

Key among these measures are..

• There will be no live audience participation in sports venues/facilities
• All sports events coverage and viewing will be visual
• The games village/hostel and accomodation will be decontaminated before and after every games
  *Athletes and officials are to be accomodated in well ventilated rooms in line with Covid-19 protocol
• In a large hostel format, the beds should be spaced, observing the 2meters physical distancing rule
• There must be provision of soap and running water and alcoholic based hand sanitizers at the games village
• There shall be provision of infrared thermometers for screening of athletes and officials at games villages and hostels
  *All participants must submit themselves for testing twice before their trainings and competitions
• Only participants who test negative will be allowed to participate in the events
• All participants must observe the compulsory 2meters physical distancing rule at all time
• Strict adherence to safety measures such as avoiding to touch your face, mouth, nose and eye at all time

These and many other measures have been put in place by the ministry to ensure that they stay in line with global best practices based on their interaction with other developed countries of the world who have done same with considerable success.

The chairman of the central coordinating and monitoring committee for this project, is the permanent secretary in the sports ministry Gabriel Aduda.
Members of the committee include Dr Demola Are, Dr Paul Onyeudo, Mr Peter Nelson, Dr Simon Ebhojiaye, Engineer Olatunji Okedairo, Mr Tunde Akpeji, Mr Olajide Ajayi and Mrs Maria Wophill

Immediately this proposal is approved by the relevant authorities, modalities will be put in place for the start of selected sporting activities.