Following yesterday’s announcement (9th July), British Wrestling welcomes the return of indoor sport and the potential for our members to Return to the Mat from 25th July.
We have been in regular communication with Sport England and other governing bodies and working to develop our Return to the Mat plan to assist clubs to return as soon as this announcement was made. We intended to publish these guidelines today following the announcement. Unfortunately, there are a number of points within the more detailed guidance that leave some fundamental questions unanswered, especially for combat sports.
At this time we are able to publish some of the resources but not all until we have greater detail and clarity from the government. You will find these resources available for download below and on the main British Wrestling Coronavirus page. We will also be linking to shared resources developed by the sports sector as appropriate. A lot of time and effort from experts has gone into producing these and it is right that we utilise this expertise, where appropriate for wrestling.
We are working hard right now to get the clarity we need but our expectation is that it is unlikely we will be able to provide a further update until next week.
Once we have full clarity and are able to publish all the guidance we will do so on the website and announce it via social media and an email to all members. We will also host a webinar where we will run through the guidance and resources and answer questions and concerns for coaches and clubs.
Until then please consider what actions you can take now to be ready for a Return to the Mat. The clarifications we are seeking are on the activity provision and so any actions with regards to opening, cleaning and managing facilities are unlikely to change. Things you could do include a plan for how you will open as a club and may include reaching out to your facility provider but please bear in mind that leisure centres and education facilities have a huge number of users with varying needs. They may need some time to digest the guidance and give you the answers you are looking for.
We would like to, at this time, recognise and pay tribute to those within the wrestling family who have lost their lives and their loved ones. We thank the wrestling family for coming together at this difficult time, whether you are a wrestler, coach, official or volunteer supporting our sport and our local communities.
There are a lot of frustrated people out there, from many many sports, all in the same boat as Wrestling– all desperate to get back in the club but needing better clarity on the lock-down relaxation rules.
Keep checking the website and our social media channels for the latest.
