Professional athletes urged to adhere to Level 3 lockdown regulations

The chairperson of the portfolio committee on sports, arts and culture, Beauty Dlulane, has called on professional athletes to strictly adhere to regulations when lockdown Level 3 kicks in.

On Saturday, minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa announced the return to training for a number of sporting codes.

Dlulane said the committee supported the announcement regarding the return to action of professional sportspersons.

“This is a good move by government, but the committee wishes to make a call for strict adherence to the regulations. South Africa is yet to peak and that calls for extra caution in all facets of our lives in the sporting fraternity,” she said in a statement.

The committee chairperson said frequent testing should be mandatory and called on athletes to be exemplary and ambassadors of what the government is trying to achieve.

“The objective is to flatten the curve. Respective associations, clubs, managers, fitness trainers need to ensure that the athlete remains healthy and that the training equipment is regularly changed and sanitised,” she said.

The committee also noted the continued Covid-19 relief support grant that the department is availing to athletes and actors.

Dlulane has called for the continuation of that support as the return to training doesn’t guarantee the provision of a steady income.

She called on applicants to follow the proper applications guidelines and ensure relevant documentation is included all the time.

The R200 million in relief funding had been made available by the ministry and the MECs of sport, arts and culture in all provinces.

Mthethwa said the funding was set up to support artists, athletes, technical personnel and the “core ecosystem of the sector nationally”.

The sport adjudication panel was the first to be appointed on 9 April and the first to begin adjudicating as well as the first to complete the process.

The minister said the total number of sport applications received was 470 and of these, 296 were approved.

He added that in the arts and culture adjudication process, 1,520 applicants were accepted and of these, 592 were already paid.

“Since the announcement of the lockdown, there has been no sectoral activity to date. The announcement of amended regulations under Level 3 is indeed going to see the gradual introduction of various sectoral activities, under strict adherence to safety measures, as outlined under the Disaster Management [Act] regulations,” said Mthethwa.

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