Updated Province-wide Restrictions for Sport

December 4, 2020

Updated December 4, 2020 @ 1:05pm (Note these guidelines and recommendations will be updated regularly as more clarity is provided by viaSport & the Government of BC)

A new Provincial Health Officer Order was put in place for all individuals, places of work and businesses across the Province.

While these new restrictions challenge us all, it important that we all do our part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Below we have worked to identify how these new restrictions impact BC Athletics and its members. We thank all of our members for doing their part!

Highlights:

Adult indoor and outdoor group training & competitions are suspended.
- All indoor and outdoor group training & competition for adults (people 19 years of age and older) are suspended.
- Adults may train individually or under the supervision of a personal coach.
Youth indoor and outdoor group training & in-club competitions may continue with enhanced safety measures.
- All organized indoor and outdoor sports for youth (people under 19 years of age) must follow viaSport's Return to Sport Phase 2 guidance with respect to maintaining physical distance (Three Meters) for participants. This means open competitions are suspended.
- In-club drills and modified training activities can continue;
- Participants must maintain a physical distance of three metres from one another;
- Activities should be low risk of transmitting the virus (e.g. individual activities, group training that maintains physical distance)

On This Page:

Adult Training & Competition Guidelines
1. Physical Distancing
Youth Training Guidelines
1. Physical Distancing
2. Social Gatherings
3. Training Environment Safety Daily Screening
4. Attendance Tracking
5. 2nd Claim Club Memberships
6. Mask requirements in public indoor settings
7. Spectators
8. Indoor Training & Competitions
9. Outdoor Training & Competitions
10. Competitions
Travel Restrictions
Exemptions

Adult Training & Competitions Guidelines
1. All indoor and outdoor group training & competition for adults (people 19 years of age and older) are suspended.
2. Adults may train individually or under the supervision of a personal coach.
  1. An individual athlete may meet their personal coach for a training session.
    1. For the safety of both athletes & coaches, coaches are required to ensure that an open and observable environment is used for all interactions between adults and participants. (i.e. Community Track & Field Facility)
  2. A coach may not hold a training session for a group of individual athletes training on their own.
3. Physical Distancing
  1. Athletes & coaches are asked to maintain a physical distance of three metres from one another and do not engage in handshaking, high fives, or similar behaviour
Youth Training Guidelines
1. Physical Distancing
  1. Participants are asked to maintain a physical distance of three metres from one another and do not engage in handshaking, high fives, hugging or similar behaviour
2. Social Gatherings
  1. No in-person social gatherings of any size (indoor and/or outdoors)
3. Training Environment Safety - Daily Screening
  1. A daily screening should already be included in every club and training groups existing COVID-19 safety plan. Conduct routine daily symptom screenings for all coaches, volunteers, and participants. Wellness questionnaires and use of self-assessment tools are recommended.
    1. BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool.
    2. SAMPLE Athlete Check-In Document
4. Attendance Tracking
  1. Organizers must collect the first and last names and telephone number, or email address, of everyone who attends a training session or competition.
  2. Retain this information for thirty days, in case there is a need for contact tracing on the part of the medical health officer, in which case the information must be provided to the medical health officer.
  3. Destroy the information after thirty days
  4. *Avoid having athletes change training groups from day to day or week to week
5. 2nd Claim Club Memberships
  1. Youth athletes who hold a 2nd Claim Club Membership, are asked to select a single club for this period and train exclusively with that club.
6. Mask requirements in public indoor settings
  1. As outlined in the mask mandate order, masks are required for everyone in many public indoor settings. A face shield is not a substitute for a mask as it has an opening below the mouth.
  2. Masks are required in many indoor public settings. This includes:
    1. Community Centres
    2. Recreation Centres
    3. Sport or fitness facilities when not working out
  3. There are exemptions for:
    1. People with health conditions or with physical, cognitive, or mental impairments who cannot wear one
    2. People who cannot remove a mask on their own
    3. Children under the age of 12
7. Spectators
  1. No spectators are allowed at any youth sport activities under the order. The only people allowed to attend sport activities are those that provide care to a participant or player. For example, coaches or person designated to provide first aid.
8. Indoor Training
  1. Any activity that could be described as a “High intensity fitness activity” which cause a sustained and accelerated rate of breathing and may involve close contact with other people must be suspended immediately.
  2. Indoor activities can be replaced with individual exercise or practice that allows everyone to maintain a safe physical distance. These include training for:
    1. High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault
    2. Hammer Throw, Discus Throw, Shot Put, Javelin
    3. Weight Training
  3. These activities can only be conducted indoors if everyone is able to maintain a safe physical distance (Three Meters).
  4. No person may attend as a spectator at an indoor sport activity unless this is necessary to provide care to a participant. (i.e. first aid)
  5. Masks are now required for everyone in all public indoor setting.
9. Outdoor Training
  1. Any activity that could be described as a “High intensity fitness activity” which cause a sustained and accelerated rate of breathing and may involve close contact with other people may be conducted outside.
  2. These activities include:
    1. Sprinting, Running, Jogging, Hurdles
    2. Circuit Training
    3. High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault (Indoors or Outdoors)
    4. Hammer Throw, Discus Throw, Shot Put, Javelin (Indoors or Outdoors)
10. Competitions
  1. During the period covered by this order the only competitions that may be held are “In-Club”.
    1. “In-Club” is defined as, only those athletes who regularly train as part of a BC Athletics member club or training group.
    2. There shall be no “special” exceptions made.
Travel Restrictions
1. Travel into, out, and between communities should be limited to essential travel only. During this time athletes and coaches may continue to train with their club/training groups.
  1. An Athlete/Coach who resides in Surrey may continue to train with their club in Vancouver
2. Clubs may only take part in in-club competitions held within their local community
  1. An Athlete/Club from Vancouver cannot take part in a competition held in Abbotsford
  2. An Athlete/Club from the Lower Mainland cannot take part in a competition held on Vancouver Island.
Exemptions

High performance athletes, professional athletes and professional performers are not included in the order. To qualify as a high performance athlete, you must be:

-Identified by the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific as a high performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organization

-Continuing to follow the safety guidelines of your provincial sports organization

More information on BC Athletics "Return to Sport" policies and guidelines can be found online here.

Thank you all for your efforts. we appreciate your support and patience as we all work to reduce our interactions, help keep communities safe and healthy, and lower the risk to our health care system.