Sport Australia has launched a suite of practical resources that focus on giving community sporting clubs and associations a roadmap for the safest return to sport at all levels.
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Sport Australia's Return to Sport Toolkit comes with comprehensive checklists, adaptable COVID-19 safety plans and templates that can be used by sporting organisations at any level. It is in step with the AIS Framework for Rebooting of Sport in a COVID-19 Environment and the Australian Government's National principles for the resumption of sport and recreation activities.
inister for Youth and Sport Richard Colbeck said: "Sporting clubs and organisations across Australia will play an enormous part in getting the nation back on track as we recover from the impact of COVID-19. "The safe return of competition relies on a responsible rollout where everybody follows advice and takes precautions.
"We have a big challenge ahead of us - but together the National Principles, the AIS framework and Sport Australia's toolkit offer tangible advice to ensure community sporting groups are prepared to control and deal with the virus in this new era."
Sport Australia's Return to Sport Toolkit guides clubs and associations at every level to document their own COVID-19 Safety Plan and appoint a COVID Safety Coordinator to implement and oversee it. As part of the Toolkit, a checklist works through practical and progressive steps such as: relevant approvals from your Government and National Sporting Organisation; facilities management; training behaviours; hygiene protocols; management of illness and; communicating these processes with members.
"The Toolkit works through four stages of return to sport: Prevent, Prepare, Respond and Recover," Dalton says. "In the Prevent stage, it concentrates on steps like getting your COVID-19 Safety Plan in place and communicating that with members. Practical steps in the Prepare stage are looking at safe facility practises, like hand-sanitisers, attendance registers at training and limiting shared equipment as much as possible.
"Sports also need to be prepared for illness management, noting things can change quickly in your local area, which is covered by the Respond and Recover stages.
"We know this is a tough time for sport and all Australians. But if we can each commit to getting through this challenging period together.
