Scottish Gymnastics Guidance on Coronavirus
As you may be aware yesterday, both Scottish Gymnastics and British Gymnastics made the difficult decision of cancelling all national gymnastics events until the end of June, including the FIG Gymnastics World Cup, Scottish Artistic Championships and the Artistic British Championships.
Last night the Scottish and UK Governments also announced further social distancing measures and instructed people to avoid social contact and gatherings where possible and that they should avoid non-essential travel. We are therefore communicating some further decisions which we have taken regarding Scottish Gymnastics’ programmes and activity.
Scottish Gymnastics Activity
In line with this advice and in consultation with both British Gymnastics and Welsh Gymnastics, we have jointly taken the decision to suspend all Scottish Gymnastics sanctioned activity including education courses, safeguarding courses, performance programmes and club development workshops until the end of June. This decision also includes both travel and event permits for club activity which have been sanctioned by Scottish Gymnastics. This is in line with our decision on national events and hope that it will continue to provide an element of certainty for our members with regards Scottish Gymnastics activity.
In addition, both Scottish Gymnastics and British Gymnastics are following government guidelines and have instructed staff to work from home. British Gymnastics can be contacted in all the usual ways. Information on how to contact Scottish Gymnastics is available on the website and we will continue to issue communications in line with the latest guidance from the Government.
Advice for Clubs
We understand that, for our clubs, the current social distancing advice will have a considerable effect on classes and training. During this difficult time we advise that you review the guidance and measures that have been introduced by the Government and carry out your own risk assessment to come to a decision on how you can continue to operate your club. We would continue to advise that the health and welfare of all club members and their families is at the forefront of your decision-making process and that all are aware of the symptoms of the virus. Some clubs may also be affected by other circumstances such as leisure centre and venue closures and we encourage you to keep regular dialogue with your venue operator. In addition, some clubs have already made the difficult decision to close temporarily.
This evening the Government has issued a string of new financial measures that may assist clubs in the future and Scottish Gymnastics will be working with British Gymnastics to examine these measures with the view of assisting clubs to understand how they can be accessed. Our team will also be working on providing materials and further guidance to help all member clubs so that you can continue to stay informed and connected with your members.
Useful Information
The business helpline number is 0300 303 0660. The helpline will be open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm. Callers should select option one to speak to the COVID-19 team.
This is an ongoing and fast-moving situation and further updates will be provided by Scottish Gymnastics in line with Scottish and UK Government advice and guidance.
On behalf of everybody at Scottish Gymnastics, please take care and let’s work together to minimise the impact of this pandemic on the sport we love.
Kind regards,
Doc McKelvey
Chief Executive Officer
UPDATE: TUESDAY 17 MARCH 3PM
Following yesterday’s updates from the Scottish and UK Governments and our statement regarding our national events, we recognise that further clarification is needed around club activity and wider Scottish Gymnastics courses and programmes.
We strongly suggest that clubs consider the health and welfare of gymnasts, coaches, officials, volunteers and parents attending club activity, as well as making contact with their facility provider to determine their advice and policies around social distancing.
We are working to clarify what the government advice means for clubs and will provide a further update this evening following this afternoon’s government briefing.
Meanwhile, we have followed the government’s advice on working from home which means our office phones will not be answered. Our staff will continue to work remotely within normal hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
UPDATE: FRIDAY 13 MARCH
We know that many of you have concerns about the threat posed by Coronavirus (COVID-19), and I wanted to provide an update. Yesterday the Scottish and UK Governments moved from "containing" coronavirus to "delaying" it And the Scottish Government stated that, “from Monday all large gatherings above 500 people with the potential to impact the emergency services should be cancelled”.
We continue to review advice from Government agencies and liaise with the venue operators in relation to events and competitions in Britain and Scotland. This includes the Gymnastics World Cup, Gymnastics British Championships, Scottish Artistic Championships and regional qualification events and competitions. Above all else our principal concern is for the welfare of our members, gymnasts and staff.
On Monday both Scottish Gymnastics and British Gymnastics will undertake another risk assessment and British Gymnastics will have further discussions with other federations and the FIG. If advice changes and we are required to cancel, we will communicate this as soon as possible.
Taking into account the various advice and following consultation, the events scheduled to be held on 14 and 15 March will be going ahead as planned: the Acro Scottish NDP & team Championships, FIG tournament and beginners’ competition, and Trampoline and DMT NDP Regional Team Finals Qualifiers. This decision has been taken in line with Scottish Government advice and following consultation with British Gymnastics, our technical panels and host venues.
All clubs, gymnasts and spectators attending events are reminded of the current advice: if you have a fever (temperature) or persistent cough, you’re asked not to attend. If you are attending in any capacity, please follow the guidance of ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ and ensure you regularly wash your hands throughout the event.
We’re mindful of the impact cancellations would have on qualification to continue through the pathway. We’re working closely with technical committees and other parties to understand what steps we would need to take to resolve any issues caused by cancellations, should this happen.
Understandably, we continue to receive a high volume of calls and enquiries from worried members and clubs. Our advice is to continue to follow the advice of Public Health authorities and the Government.
Be mindful of advice regarding hand washing and self-isolation to take the precautions required to protect yourself and your members. You’ll find more information and links further down this page.
We will continue to provide updates on this page as the situation continues to develop.
