Compulsory usage of the Aarogya Setu app, nomination of a hygiene officer by National Sports Federations (NSF) to ensure compliance and implementation of all protective measures for athlete and staff safety, elimination of the usage of locker rooms and maintaining a distance of “1.5 to 2 metres” are among the measures suggested by the committee put together by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for resumption of training across the country.
SAI had announced the formation of the six-member committee headed by Secretary Rohit Bharadwaj on May 10. It has since created the 33-page document that now needs to be cleared by Health Ministry and Home Ministry.
The SOP also says that the usage of gym “shall be avoided/ limited to inescapable requirement; and as far as possible exercise shall be allowed using personal equipment, which shall not be shared by any other trainee.” If athletes are using the gym, they will have to do so ensuring a distance of 1.5m to 2m between themselves and usage of equipment shall be allowed permitted only “while wearing gloves and face mask and under consequent use of disinfectants afterwards.”
“All physiotherapy/massage shall be avoided unless absolutely necessary” and “recovery areas including sauna, hydrotherapy etc. shall be made inaccessible during this period.”
The SOP also calls for education of athletes on COVID-19 precautionary measures before training resumes.
While some athletes have been at their respective homes throughout the period of the lockdown, many are stuck at SAI centres around the country. The committee says in the SOP that those who have been in training centres shall be subject to “basic screening to detect any concerning ailments.”
Those that have been at their residences or in Non-SAI training centres and are rejoining the SAI centres whenever training resumes will be tested for COVID-19 and placed in quarantine until their test results arrive. “Final clearance should be provided by the doctor-In-charge at the respective SAI centre,” it said.
