It is now a month since our previous post at the start of the current coronavirus lockdown and time for a February update. We hope that those who have to are coping with homeschooling and we continue to extend our thanks to all key workers out there especially those in the wrestling family.
It is important to reiterate the need to continue to follow the current guidelines, stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.
It is just as important to realise that if we continue to do so with vaccination working well we can start to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Return to the Mat Update
To that point, British Wrestling was heavily involved in developing the combat sport framework that will enable combat sports to return following a phased approach laid out in government regulations. The BWA has submitted our proposals for the wrestling specific guidance and we are awaiting feedback from DCMS and Sport England.
Unfortunately, we don’t expect this being a quick return. We do not at this stage anticipate any contact training before May and likely longer. Any competition will likely be single bout formats at a local level to start with and we don’t anticipate any larger traditional competitions before late Autumn.
All of this is based on information from a range of sources and of course, is subject to change based on government guidance and regulations. We anticipate being able to gain further clarity following the expected announcements from the Prime Minister in the week of February 22.
Online Delivery
We appreciate that the pandemic has meant a long time without wrestling. During previous lockdowns, we focused on supporting clubs to provide online and in-person when they were able. However, we realised that this was less likely to continue moving forward so we have developed two programmes of online delivery:
This Girl Can Wrestle delivered by Wrestle Like A Girl is a female-only session open to girls aged 8 and over of all experience levels. The sessions take place every other Tuesday from 6 pm -7:30 pm. You can sign up now, here.
iWrestle with Mohammed Osman, accomplished international referee, wrestler and coach. Sessions take place every other Wednesday from 4 pm – 5 pm. You can sign up now, here.
For those looking to get into coaching, we’ve recently launched the theory parts of our level 1 and level 2 courses online. You can complete the online theory part of the course at your own leisure and then attend a practical course to complete your qualification when restrictions allow. Find out more here.
Build for Birmingham
The GBR Senior Squad, also known as Build for Birmingham Squad, continues to train following strict return to elite sport guidance with the next session due to take place this weekend. We have adapted our delivery to reflect the increased restrictions reducing the training to a single day removing the need for overnight stays. The full guidance is available to read here and an extract explaining exactly who can be considered an elite athlete
“For the purposes of this guidance the definition of an ‘elite athlete’ means a person who is:
- an individual who derives a living from competing in a sport
- a senior representative nominated by a relevant sporting body
- a member of the senior training squad for a relevant sporting body, or
- on an elite development pathway.
For these purposes, a “relevant sporting body” is the national governing body of a sport which may nominate athletes to represent either (a) Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo, or the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Beijing, or (b) England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham in those sports which are not part of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games programme.
An “elite development pathway” means a development pathway established by the national governing body of a sport to prepare athletes (a) so that they may derive a living from competing in that sport, or (b) to compete in that sport in the Olympic or Paralympic Games”.
The squad will compete in a domestic elite competition at the end of March. This Home Nations Invitational competition is a pivotal point on the pathway to Birmingham 2022 enabling Home Nations coaches to assess their long list athletes and begin the international preparations needed for a successful games on UK soil.
Please stay safe and if you have any questions or need any support please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the team or contact the office using admin@britishwrestling.org.
