The journey so far: professional sport during the COVID-19 pandemic

Returning the health benefits of community sport At a community level, the WHO and many governments implemented policies to support opportunities for individuals to participate in health-enhancing physical activity for the longevity, mental health and physical health benefits conferred.1–3 Outdoor sport/physical activity carries a lower risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 due to physical distancing and ventilation.4 These sports were generally reintroduced before indoor or contact sports.5 Unfortunately, some regions were slow to recognise the low risks of outdoor, physically distanced sports activities and continued to restrict these despite their relative safety. [...]many informed us they were nervous about becoming infected by the virus (either personally or their family), while others expressed concern about the ‘bubble’ environment they had to endure, in many cases entailing significant isolation from their families.12 Collaborative return to sport guidelines were produced to advise athletes, coaches and sports organisations on adapting and applying public health principles to the sport-specific context.13 Greater attendance at sports events Countries (eg, New Zealand and Australia) that had eliminated the virus or had lower community transmission of cases could sometimes introduce full or >50% spectators’ capacity ahead of widespread vaccine roll-out. [...]golf, for example, has collaborated with the Ministerial Advisory Committee and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa to allow asymptomatic persons positive for SARS-CoV-2 to participate in golf while maintaining physical distancing and avoidance of shared indoor spaces.18 There is a gradual realisation that asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is not an absolute contraindication to participation in exercise/competition.