Return to Sport Update - COVID-19

April 2022

viaSport is working with the Province of British Columbia and the amateur sport sector to support organizations to operate safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current guidance from the Office of the Public Health Officer

All sport activities are allowed.
Proof of vaccination is no longer required for sport activities and programs.
- Individual businesses and event organizers can choose to continue requiring proof of vaccination for entry.
Businesses, organizations and facilities no longer need a COVID-19 safety plan. They must follow communicable disease guidance from WorkSafeBC.
Wearing masks in public indoor settings is not required by public health. Wearing a mask is a personal choice.
- Individual businesses, facilities and event organizers can choose to continue requiring masks on their premises. It’s important that we respect these choices.

Recreation, leisure and individual training activities and facilities considerations

During the return to sport process, viaSport’s role is to focus on the safe return of participants to sport activities in B.C. This continues to be our number-one priority. For updates on facilities please contact your municipality, BC Recreation and Parks Association or Recreation Facilities Association of BC.

Vaccine Card Updates

Dear SportAbility Membership,

On September 13 by order of the PHO, some events, services and businesses in BC are required to check a person’s proof of vaccination for access to their venue or space. Sport is one of those services that will require proof of vaccination checks under specific conditions as the order currently stands.

The SportAbility Return to Sport Committee will be meeting next week to firm up our guidelines, however in the interim we are following the Government of BC’s guidelines and incorporating the PHO order and new BC Vaccine Card. The mandatory guidelines for sport are the following:

Athletes ages 12 and older will be required to show Proof of Vaccination and government-issued photo ID upon entry for all mixed age SportAbility sport programs and events. A mixed age program is a program that both adults and children/youth can attend as it is not specifically designated for persons ages 12-21.
For programs designated for children and youth ages 21 and underproof of vaccination is NOT required for the athletes to access their activity. The PHO’s intent of this is to ensure children and youth have minimal barriers to participate in sport.
All coaches, volunteers, support persons and officials are now required to show proof of vaccination and government issued ID upon entry for all programs and events.
Spectators: Proof of vaccination is required for all spectators ages 12 and up at all events and programs.
NOTE: Proof of full vaccination (double dose) is required in the above guideline points as we are past the October 24 deadline established by the PHO.

To best accommodate members and adhere to safety protocols, we encourage members to get vaccinated and download their BC Vaccine Card.

Masks remain mandatory for people 12 and older regardless of vaccination status and must be worn inside all facilities, except when exercising or participating in sport. Children under 12, people who cannot wear a mask or who cannot put on or remove a mask without the assistance of others are exempt. Check with your facility for their specific requirements before attending a program or event.

There are two stages of implementation:

Monday, September 13: Members 22 and older must have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to participate (Original paper immunization cards are acceptable until September 26).
Sunday, October 24: Members 22 and older must be fully vaccinated with two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to participate.

The Order can be found here. Please note that the guidelines shared here are the minimum necessary to participate in SportAbility events and programs. Should your facility have more stringent vaccine requirements, please abide by the regulations they have set in place.

Do not hesitate to call, ( 604 324 1411 ) or email me with questions or concerns.

Kind regards,
Ross MacDonald

Executive Director

Return to Sport update – January 25, 2022

See below for a message from viaSport British Columbia.

Today, B.C.’s PHO announced updates to their COVID-19 response related to sport. To reflect these changes, we have updated our Return to Sport Restart 2.0 chart with these details and helpful reminders to keep the sport community safe. To summarize:

As of February 1, sport tournaments for youth 21 and under are allowed with the following requirements:
- Spectators: seated and standing capacity is at 50%
- Proof of vaccination and mask guidance remain in place.
Tournaments for adults 22 and older will stay on pause for now.

PHO Orders & Scanning Vaccine Cards – December 31, 2021

See below for a message from viaSport British Columbia.

The PHO Order on Gatherings and Events has been updated with restrictions on sport tournaments, spectator capacity and recreational sport. To reflect these changes, we have updated our Return to Sport Restart 2.0 chart with the details. To summarize:

Sport tournaments are not allowed at this time
Spectators: seated and standing capacity is at 50%
Adult indoor and mixed-age sport and recreation programs (including pool-based) are at 50% of capacity/occupancy of the space
Interprovincial travel and international travel for sport is not advised

Please share this message with anyone you think may benefit from it.

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Dear SportAbility Membership,

From December 31, 2021, all program leads/coaches/managers must scan the QR code on a vaccine card in order to determine whether a participant is vaccinated.

Program leads/coaches/managers must not scan the QR code on a vaccine card with any tool other than the BC Vaccine Card Verifier App.

With the written consent of a participant, a record that a participant has provided proof of vaccination or proof of exemption can be saved. This record must be saved or stored in a secure location and is not the proof vaccination itself. The record should be a check mark or something of similar nature.

If you would like assistance in creating a tracking process, please email Ross at rossm@sportabilitybc.ca.

Kind regards,
Ross MacDonald

Executive Director

Public Health Order Update – July 1, 2021

Step 3 of B.C.’s Restart plan is in effect as of July 1.

With the latest positive developments in BC’s Restart Plan, SportAbility is pleased to share =two resources that provide the “Return to Sport Restart 2.0 chart” and the Latest FAQs from viaSport and the Government of British Columbia.

We are in the early days of a very welcome return to sport. As we expected, this is a step-by-step process and how quickly we move within the steps depends on rates of immunization, infection and hospitalizations in B.C. We are optimistic that a full return to sport is coming soon.

Thank you everyone for your continued patience and for ensuring our collective health and safety by following all public health advice.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns.

Visit viaSport’s website for all the latest information on return to sport.

Public Health Order Update – May 25, 2021

With the May 25 announcement of B.C.’s Restart plan, local outdoor sport for all ages can now resume, including practices and games. More detailed information for sport is coming soon.

With the latest positive developments in BC’s Restart Plan, SportAbility will continue to work with our partners and wait for further details from viaSport British Columbia and the Government of British Columbia on what this means for the possibility of return to sport.

Thank you everyone for your continued patience and for ensuring our collective health and safety by following all public health advice.

Visit viaSport’s website for all the latest information on return to sport.

Public Health Order Update – April 30, 2021

With current provincial restrictions in place until at least May 25, 2021, viaSport is providing the following guidance for sport organizations and their members around how to prepare for a safe, gradual return to sport.

Currently, sport activities for youth and adults are restricted until at least May 25, 2021.
The B.C. Provincial Health Officer has indicated that when restrictions are eased, it will happen slowly.
Modified activities for outdoor sports could return as early as June, but the timeline for indoor sports will depend on future decisions from public health officials.
Although outdoor sport may be more permissive than indoor sport after May 25, 2021, viaSport is hopeful that all sport can expect a gradual transition back to regular game play over the summer and into the fall.
Dr. Henry is working with public health officials on a health policy that will guide the next phases of a restart plan for all sectors, which is targeted to be released after the May long weekend.
When restrictions are lifted, sport organizations will have many factors to consider including availability of facilities, coaches, volunteers, etc. As a result, we recognize that it will take time for organizations to restart their activities.
Staying connected and aligned with your provincial sport organization will help make the transition safer and smoother for everyone.

As a reminder:

Under current restrictions, within a home club setting, training and practice for youth age 21 and under may continue, as long as:
- participants maintain a physical distance of three metres from one another (no handshaking, high fives, hugging, etc.);
- the focus is on activities that have a low risk of COVID-19 virus transmission;
- there are no spectators present, unless to provide care (i.e. first aid) to a participant
The Orders do not specifically address every individual situation. When interpreting the Orders, please remember the intention is important. This will help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and keep sports safe. Our actions now will impact how quickly we can return to sport when the time is right.

For more information and details on the above, please visit the ViaSport website or FAQ page.

Public Health Order Update – February 5, 2021

On Friday, February 5, the Province of B.C. announced that the current public health restrictions are being kept in place. While there have not been updates to the restrictions for sport, this means that the following key items remain in place:

Individuals are permitted to travel to their home club for the purpose of sport, while following all restrictions in the current public health Order.
The clarifications from January 7 on “group sport” remain applicable to adult sport.
The high performance exemption remains in effect for athletes identified by CSI-Pacific and their Provincial or National Sport organization.
The specifications around children and youth sport remain unchanged. Games and tournaments are temporarily suspended for teams.
Programs and individuals that are permitted to participate in sport at this time must follow Phase 2 (Transition Measures) of the SportAbility Return to Sport Guidelines. Please note, physical distancing requirements are now 3 meters instead of 2 meters.

Return to Sport Plans

For more details on the above, please visit the ViaSport website or FAQ page.

Public Health Order Update – December 3, 2020

Today a written order was shared by the Provincial Health Office that has specific guidelines for structured youth sport programs and adult sport. You can find the detailed written order on the webpage in the link below.

The following are some of the important updates for SportAbility members:

There is to be an immediate transition to Phase 2 for indoor sport for children and youth.
The physical distance to be maintained during activity is now three (3) metres (not 2m).
All indoor and outdoor sports for people 19 years of age and older are suspended. We did seek clarification on mixed age programs and it was determined that adults would not be able to attend as long as the current order is in place.
All Phase 3 activities (e.g. scrimmages, games, and contact activities) are paused while this order is in effect.

We are here to support you and answer any questions you may have, so please email info@sportabilitybc.ca if you require assistance or clarification. SportAbility appreciates the ongoing efforts of all our members, volunteers, participants and parents in their commitment to delivering and developing current and future programming safely within our communities.

SportAbility will continue to communicate updates to members as guidelines are updated and released.

Read the Public Health Order

October 22, 2020

Dear SportAbility members,

SportAbility is pleased to release updated sport specific guidelines for Power Soccer, Boccia and Para Hockey. All SportAbility affiliated clubs and programs must follow the SportAbility Guidelines to receive sanctioning, funding and liability protection.

The purpose of these documents is to provide guidance to our members for a gradual, safe return to sport process. Please note, the intent of these guidelines is to implement safe practices in order to reduce the risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 while participating in your sport program. Following these guidelines does not guarantee immunity from COVID-19 while in attendance at your program session.

There is no specific date set for return to sport, as this will be dependent on facility access, communication between the facility and program leads, and program readiness. Athletes returning to sport is not mandatory, and will depend on each individual athlete’s personal comfort level and health status. If you are not yet fully comfortable with an in-person return to sport, please contact SportAbility or your respective club lead to see if we can help with any accommodations and alternate plans to assist you. We will do our best to support you and make alternate arrangements with those who are not yet suited to attend in-person sessions.

As of August 24, sport has moved to the “Progressively Loosen” Phase (Phase 3). In this phase there can be a careful increase to the number of contacts and contact intensity in sport. The purpose of this guide is to help clarify the conditions for safe sport activities in Phase 3. The bulk of this information for Phase 3 has been directly taken from viaSport Return to Sport Guidelines pgs 22 – 26 with slight modifications that address sport specific topics.

Review the following criteria for programs operating in Phase 2 “Transition Measures” looking to progress to Phase 3 “Progressively Loosen”. All SportAbility affiliated programs must follow this criteria when progressing into Phase 3.

Run a minimum of 4 sessions following Phase 2 guidelines to allow for a gradual re-entry to sport programming.
Ensure participants are comfortable and ready.
Ensure facilities have updated guidelines that support Phase 3 and are aligned with our sport-specific plan.

All criteria must be met for program progression.

We appreciate your patience over the past few months as we worked together with athletes, program leads, and coaches to devise Return to Sport plans for Power Soccer, Boccia, and Para Ice Hockey.

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Return to Sport Plans

Any updates regarding Return to Sport plans and procedures will be communicated to our athletes and program leaders directly by email, and will be posted on our website’s Return to Sport page.

Athletes must familiarize themselves with our Key Points for Athletes document prior to attending practice. We recommend having an easily accessible copy of this document (either on your mobile device or printed) to refer back to before, during, and after sessions.

All safety measures and protocols must be followed in order for athletes, companions, sport assistants, coaches, volunteers, and program leads to be able to attend practice sessions.

August 27, 2020

Dear SportAbility members,

SportAbility is pleased to release Phase 2 sport specific guidelines for Power Soccer, Boccia and Para Hockey. All SportAbility affiliated clubs and programs must follow the SportAbility Guidelines to receive sanctioning, funding and liability protection.

On August 24th, the Province of British Columbia and viaSport BC announced that sport in BC is permitted to move to Phase 3 – the “Progressively Loosen” stage of the provincial Return to Sport framework. This announcement means that Provincial Sport Organizations may now begin to transition into Sport Phase 3, although each organization and sport will progress at a different pace. See the Sport Activity Chart for more information.

SportAbility is already working to create updated guidelines for the next stage, “Progressively Loosen”. We will be updating programs with the adjusted measures and our recommendations on how to gradually move into this stage.

All sports must run sessions using the Phase 2 sport-specific guidelines (specific focus on local training and skill development within your programs) that have been released today. As mentioned we have begun the work on phase 3 now that the guidelines have been released.

Criteria for progression to Phase 3 “Progressively Loosen”

Minimum of 4 sessions in Phase 2 “Transition Measures”
Sport specific guidelines are released for Phase 3 by SportAbility
Participants are comfortable and ready
Facilities have updated guidelines that support phase 3 and are aligned with our sport specific plan

All criteria must be met for progression.

Thank you to those who responded to our requests for input and attended our virtual town halls over the course of the past few weeks—we greatly appreciate your insight and help to ensure a safe Return to Sport process for our athletes.

We appreciate your patience over the past few months as we worked together with athletes, program leads, and coaches to devise Return to Sport plans for Power Soccer, Boccia, and Para Ice Hockey.

—–

Return to Sport Plans

Any updates regarding Return to Sport plans and procedures will be communicated to our athletes and program leaders directly by email, and will be posted on our website’s Return to Sport page.

All safety measures and protocols must be followed in order for athletes, companions, sport assistants, coaches, volunteers, and program leads to be able to attend practice sessions.

August 11, 2020

Dear SportAbility members,

We are approaching the end of our initial planning phase for Return to Sport. Over the past few months, we have been working together with athletes, program leads, and coaches to devise Return to Sport plans for Power Soccer, Boccia, and Para Ice Hockey.

Please note that upon release of the plans, we strongly encourage all programs to begin their return to sport in the “Transition Measures” stage, as outlined by viaSport BC in their Sport Activity Chart. This is the current stage approved for sport focusing on individual skill development, with no competition and no equipment sharing. When approval to “Progressively Loosen Stages” is released, we will be updating programs with the adjusted measures and our recommendations on how to gradually move into this stage.

We intend to have the plans approved by our board by August 25th, and ready for release on August 27th. Thank you to those who responded to our requests for input and attended our virtual town halls over the course of the past few weeks—we greatly appreciate your insight and help to ensure a safe Return to Sport process for our athletes.

For more information on BC’s Return to Sport plan, please visit the viaSport BC website.

July 20, 2020

Dear SportAbility Membership,

This week, SportAbility will be hosting virtual town halls about Return to Sport. A specific meeting will be taking place for each sport.

July 21: Boccia, 6-7pm
July 22: Hockey, 6-7pm
July 23: Power Soccer, 6-7pm

We have sent out the Zoom meeting information to those who have previously indicated their interest in participating via our online survey. If you did not previously sign up to be a part of these forums but would like to do so now, please send us an email at info@sportabilitybc.ca to receive the sign-on info.

If you would like to provide any additional feedback to us, please send us an email or fill out the Return to Sport Survey here ➡️ forms.gle/Y4wWf4J9qA97vKrZ6

June 11, 2020

Dear SportAbility Membership,

We wanted to provide you with an update on SportAbility Programming and the status of our Return to Sport plans for each of our sports. At the present time, SportAbility is monitoring information from public health officials, and is in regular contact with National Sport Organisations (NSOs), Provincial Sport Organisations (PSOs), viaSport, and Sport BC.

At the request of the Province of B.C., viaSport has released a set of sector wide guidelines on how to resume sport while operating safely during this pandemic – known as the Return to Sport Guidelines. These guidelines will be informing our planning process going forward as we develop sport specific plans for Boccia, Power Soccer and Para Ice Hockey.

See Guidelines

Boccia: We are currently working with Boccia Canada and a task force to create Boccia specific guidelines which will assist in the creation of a BC plan.

Power Soccer: Staff are actively collecting and working on resources that will help shape a plan for power soccer.

Para Ice Hockey: Hockey Canada has now released guidelines to assist the creation of a plan for hockey and we will work with BC Hockey throughout the process.

We will be also hosting webinars and Q & A sessions online via Zoom about Return to Sport for each of our sports in the coming weeks. These sessions will give clubs and athletes a valuable opportunity to ask questions. We will be emailing links in advance to all sport specific members to attend.

We will continue to engage our members and program participants in the Return to Sport process and have created a survey for you to share your current comfort level with a Return to Sport and the needs you may have for a successful return. The survey can be found here.

As all PSOs, DSOs (Disability Sport Organizations), and LSOs (Local Sport Organizations) are prohibited from organizing or operating any sport programs until sport specific guidelines are approved, all of our in-person programs will remain suspended until June 30, at which point we will re-evaluate.

Throughout this process, the health and safety of our members and community remains our first priority and is at the core of our strategy and decision making. We are also aiming to align with the National Return to Sport guidelines of our NSOs – Boccia Canada and Hockey Canada.

We will continue post Return to Sport updates on our website, in our newsletter and across our social media channels as they become available.

An additional note from viaSport on the reopening of parks and municipal and private recreation centres in our communities:

With the reopening of parks and both municipal and private recreation facilities in our communities, casual or leisure activities have also begun to resume. These activities should not be organized or operated by a PSO, LSO or DSO. Participation in these activities is at the discretion of the individual and should adhere to current public health recommendations. Individuals are encouraged to go outdoors for personal exercise and to remain active in their communities during this time. Casual or leisure activities include but are not limited to: skill development, leisure sport and individual training. Please consult your local or municipal authorities, or the facility itself, for their specific COVID-19 guidelines to help you decide if you will partake in these activities.

SportAbility strongly encourages our members take their individual health situation into consideration before resuming recreation in the community and is advising our members to continue to work out from home, if possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this new normal and work towards a safe return to playing the sports we love.

Sincerely,

Ross MacDonald
Executive Director
rossm@sportabilitybc.ca

May 13, 2020

Dear SportAbility Membership,

We know you are grappling with the impacts of COVID-19 on yourselves and your ability to participate in your respective sport. We are eager to see sport return, but we also recognize that this is uncharted territory for all of us. The good news is that viaSport, along with public health officials and WorkSafe BC have started the process of creating guidelines for BC to return to sport in a phased approach. Only after Phase 1 has been implemented and monitored for effectiveness, viaSport and subsequently SportAbility will move to provide guidelines for Phases 2 and 3. SportAbility staff will be participating in roundtable discussions with viaSport and other sport organizations in order strengthen and finalize these guidelines.

Using these guidelines, we will then prepare sport-specific return to sport plans. We will consult with club leads and coaches of each sport before we take a finalized version to the SportAbility Board of Directors for approval. The plans for this first phase will have a specific focus on local training and skill development within your clubs and/or programs. Here is the definition provided by viaSport:

Q: What types of activities are allowed within this first phase of lifting restrictions?

A: Low risk activities that can occur with the following public health recommendations in place:

Ability to maintain physical distancing
Minimal sharing of equipment
Focus is on skill development, not competition
Community focused – Community focused sport activities take place within the home sport community or clubs where participants are members. This means avoiding cross-regional, inter-provincial or cross-country travel for sport.

If you are uncertain about the meaning of any aspect of the Restart Plan or the sport guidelines, we will strive to provide you with clarity where possible.

This is a fluid process and it can shift direction without much notice. At present time, all of our in-person programming remains suspended including practices, training camps, tournaments and social events. We know changes in direction or procedures can result in frustration, and so we will work closely with programmers and club leads to ensure that safe practices are in place for Return to Sport before notifying our members and moving forward. We will continue to work with you to share the latest public health recommendations as they become available.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to sport in B.C., especially now. Please contact myself if you have any questions at this time.

Sincerely,

Ross MacDonald
Executive Director
rossm@sportabilitybc.ca