The NCAA has expanded on its guidance for a return to college athletics this fall, providing recommendations to schools about how to safely return to the field.
The NCAA Sport Science Institute has released the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition. Among the recommendations:
- Daily self-health checks.
- The appropriate use of face coverings and social distancing during training, competition and outside of athletics.
- Testing strategies for all athletics activities, including preseason, regular season and postseason.
- Testing and results within 72 hours of competition in high contact risk sports.
- Member schools must adhere to public health standards set by their local communities.
“Any recommendation on a pathway toward a safe return to sport will depend on the national trajectory of COVID-19 spread,” said Brian Hainline, NCAA chief medical officer. “The idea of sport resocialization is predicated on a scenario of reduced or flattened infection rates.”
NCAA president Mark Emmert said: “Today, sadly, the data point in the wrong direction. If there is to be college sports in the fall, we need to get a much better handle on the pandemic.”
The ACC will not begin games until at least Sept. 1, a ruling that impacts Olympics sports like cross country, swimming, volleyball and soccer. Schedules for all of those sports have not been released.
FSU football began NCAA-allowed offseason workouts on Monday. The ACC expects that its presidents and chancellors will make a ruling on a football schedule format by the end of July. Among the considerations are playing eight or 10 games against just ACC teams, going division-less and opening up the options for teams to play or going with three five-team pods (which include Notre Dame).
ACC and FSU administrators are also consulting with an advisory committee that includes a doctor from each of the league’s 15 schools.
Portions of this story come from NCAA press release
