Most amateur sports in Quebec province were allowed to resume training earlier this summer, but combat sports has been gated, while the provincial government drafted new rules specifically for them. On Wednesday, all combat sports including, boxing, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, taekwondo, and wrestling, can resume training. There are conditions, however.
“The deconfinement of sports in Quebec has gone very well so far, and I am confident that with this new phase and with everyone’s collaboration, the situation will remain under control,” said Junior Education Minister Isabelle Charest, who is responsible for sports, to the CBC. “I am convinced that athletes will be delighted and that they will respect the established rules so that everyone can practice their discipline in complete safety.”
The rules include:
•Gym must submit a risk management plan to the province.
•Consent form must be signed, acknowledging the risks associated with practicing combat sports during the pandemic.
•Gyms to implement a ‘bubbling’ system, limiting training group size to no more than four throughout the season.
•Athletes must maintain social distancing inside the gym until they are warming up or squaring off.
•Athletes respect health guidelines outside the gym, in order to minimize the risk to their training partners.
Competitions aren’t yet authorized, but that is expected to change in the next few days after organizers submit plans.
Combat sports were among the last sectors to reopen because they involve close contact among participants, which increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission, explained Richard Masse, a strategic advisor to the public health department.
“We control the risk, we’ll limit the risk, but still you have to be careful,” said Masse. “You have to be careful when you’re [doing] your sport, but also outside.”
“We’ve seen that with people doing soccer or hockey, we’ve seen players where, even with testing, they came back, worked with their teams and transmitted COVID, so we have to be very careful with that.”
Professional combat sports athletes are not yet allowed to compete in ticketed competitions, but a plan to resume those events is expected shortly. Government officials are still weighing various factors, such as whether the public will be allowed to attend and what protocols international fighters will have to follow.
“I can’t wait,” said H2O MMA gym head coach Richard Ho. “I think my athletes will be super happy to be able to do their profession, and hopefully make some paychecks so they can live.”
