Sports training to resume after lockdown in SA, but competition to remain on hold
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has explained why sporting clubs will be allowed to resume training when lockdown lifts – but won’t be allowed to compete.
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Sporting clubs will be allowed to resume training when lockdown lifts on Wednesday, but competition will remain on hold until further notice.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said restricting teams from competition would minimise contact between people from different areas of the city and state.
“The difference (between training and competition) is that, if you’re training, you’re training with a group of people that you normally come into contact with,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Tuesday.
“When you allow teams to compete, they invariably come from different parts of the wider metropolitan area or different country locations to compete together.
“You’re bringing different communities together, which means, if we do have an outbreak, the potential spread is much wider than if you just have it within a group of people who normally get together.”
Mr Stevens said he was hopeful that the state could keep “moving in the right direction”, and the rules were being worked out in consultation with the Department for Recreation and Sport.
“We think it’s the right step at this point in time, but we’re really hopeful that, over the next seven days, we continue to keep on top of this Modbury outbreak and we don’t see any further seeping from New South Wales,” he said.
AFL was also put on hold during the state’s seven-day lockdown.
Adelaide had been due to take on Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval this weekend, but the game was brought forward and instead played in at an empty Marvel Stadium in Melbourne last Saturday.
Mr Stevens said he had not been involved in any conversation about re-starting footy in the state this weekend.
“My last understanding was that both Adelaide teams were currently out of Adelaide and planning to play their next round out of Adelaide as well,” he said.
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