Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
176. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the engagements she has had with basketball representatives including Basketball Ireland over return to play protocols. [54944/21]
View answerAt its meeting on 19 October 2021, and following consideration of the public health advice, Government agreed that additional aspects of society can reopen only with the full range of protective measures in place. As such, current restrictions under the Government’s plan state that organisers of indoor and outdoor group activities should ensure that appropriate protective measures are in place. For indoor sports, this means:
- Where individuals have mixed immunity status, pods of up to 6 participants will be permitted (excluding adult coaches/instructors).
- Multiple pods will be permissible subject to protective measures.
- The overall number of pods will have regard to the size of venue and there should be substantial social distance between individual pods.
- For Vaccinated individuals no fixed capacity limits apply to these activities.
- For spectators, the use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate (vaccine or recovery certificate) will be required for accessing indoor sporting activities and events.
- Vaccinated spectators attending indoor sporting events should be fully seated.
Minister Martin and I have ongoing engagement with stakeholders in the sports sector, as do the officials in my Department. There are two main groups which engage with the sector, they are the Expert Group on Return to Sport and the Covid-19 Sport Monitoring Group. I have also held one to one meetings with some of the National Governing Bodies of sport.
The Expert Group on the Return to Sport, which is chaired by an official from my Department, and which includes medical personnel from a range of sporting organisations as well as representatives of Sport Ireland, considered the matter of children under 18 participating in indoor sport in detail, and made a number of recommendations on the issue.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that Government agreed last week to widen the range of sporting opportunities for young people which enables under 18 indoor sports games and competitions in sports such as basketball to go ahead. On foot of this, updated guidance has been provided by Sport Ireland to sporting organisations to allow children under 18 years of age to participate in indoor games and competition activities according to the ordinary rules and limits of the sport concerned. The full guidance can be accessed on the Sport Ireland website at:
www.sportireland.ie/covid19/return-to-sport-and-physical-activity
