COVID MITIGATIONS REMAIN IN PLACE FOR JULY ‘B’ BRCS

Covid mitigation measures to remain in place for all July 2021 British Ranking Competitions (BRCs) for Cadet (U17) and Junior (U20). 

Following the recent government announcements regarding possible easing of restrictions BF has undertaken a review of the Covid mitigation measures currently in place for competitions and decided that these should remain in place for all the ‘B’ BRCs running in July, irrespective of any decision to move to Step 4 in England.

We note that very few of the U20s and U17s will have been vaccinated and we are taking a prudent approach to protect our community.

As a reminder the measures include:

• All participants, coaches, parents, volunteers to the venues must do a Lateral Flow Test on the morning of the event, prior to leaving to travel to the venue.  Tests are available for order online or can be collected locally – see here.
• Unless exempt, face coverings must be worn at all times whilst inside the venue, except whilst fencing
• Other than when fencing, 2m social distancing should be maintained at all times and fencers should expect to be allocated spaces to remain in between rounds and bouts.
• No hand-shaking or shouting
• Hand sanitising before and after touching any shared equipment or surfaces – eg spools
• Step 3 capacity caps will remain in place. Thus restrictions on coaching and spectating will be in place as per this announcement:

JULY 2021 BRC ANNOUNCEMENT – BRITISH FENCING

All BRC organisers have undergone a Covid risk assessment process with BF and a further briefing session will take place with the organisers prior to the events to ensure that all protocols are ready/in place.

For a full set of the Step 3 restrictions and measures in place in England please see here. These include general guidelines on indoor fencing, guidelines on competitions and the latest advice on equipment cleaning protocols.

For all events, as with the protocol for recent major domestic championships, no coaching is to take place during the poules. Coaches/spectators are to remain within seated areas/outside of the venue whilst the poules are taking place and will be allowed piste-side from the DE stages if space and format permits.

All those attending the events, including coaches and spectators are reminded they are responsible for ensuring a positive atmosphere at the competition. Support should be given equally during the poule stages, with clapping at the end of the bout recommended.

The health and safety of all those attending is paramount, BF and event organisers continue to work closely to provide the best experience possible for all those taking part.

As a reminder, the intention is to have several ‘B’ events around the UK throughout the whole season, providing multiple accessible opportunities for fencers to compete. Athletes seeking GBR selection are not expected to attend every ‘B’ event.  The decision to attend a competition needs to be a choice made by the fencers, supported by their parents and coach. Fencers are encouraged to make the right choices for their development and circumstances – just because BF provides a competitive ranking or selection opportunity, does not mean that every eligible fencer should feel they must participate.

If you have any further questions about this post, please submit them to us via the form here and a member of the ADP team will come back to you.

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