Panama Olympic Committee (COP) has received protocol presentations of health and safety recommendations, which will serve as a guide so that their athletes can return to training, in these times of pandemic.

The sport in Panama has been paralyzed since last March 11, when Pandeportes (Panamanian Institute of Sports) announced the closure of all its facilities, following the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, trying to mitigate the new coronavirus. The authorities ordered a quarantine to prevent the rapid spread of the disease.

The reopening of economic activities is divided into 5 blocks. Number 2, which includes sports areas, is about to be announced. Meanwhile, some sports have been preparing for opening in block 5, in which they were assigned. Every block is scheduled to open every 14 days, but block 5 has no official date for opening.

Recommendations

The president of the COP, Camilo Amado, recommended that "all sports should be able to start in phases of practices / individual training as long as they have their protocols to minimize the risk to athletes and coaches." In addition, he said the preparation phase is key to eventually returning to competition without injuries.

"Golf, like other individual and outdoor sports, meets all the conditions to start," he said. "Right now it is safer to play golf than to go to a bank or supermarket," he reflected.

His statement could be based on the protocol presented by golf to that Olympic organization. In this document it is noted that this sport is considered low risk, mainly because its practice is individual, there is no physical contact and it is practiced outdoors.

Among his recommendations on the court, one person is requested per golf cart; Players are encouraged to maintain a minimum distance of two meters, not to touch pole poles or flags, and bring their own food and drinks. In addition, it dictates hygiene and safety rules to follow for golfers.

Jean Pierre de Roux, president of the Panamanian Golf Association, pointed out that the protocol has already been delivered to the COP, but warned that they have to wait for instructions from the authorities to return to the courts.

Amado revealed that they have also presented protocols of the "new normal" sports such as tennis, cycling, surfing, boxing, gymnastics and weightlifting.

"I understand that soccer and baseball have worked theirs too," he said.

"Each of these sports developed a series of new hygiene and safety standards so that their athletes can return to training, avoiding the risks of contagion," said Amado.

“We think it is important that sports practice to be allowed. Competitive athletes from other countries are already training, something that with due precautions is totally feasible," he said.

"The Olympic Committee of Panama, together with Pandeportes, the Organizing Committee of the Panama 2022 Games and some federations, we have developed a general protocol that will serve as a guide for each sport. We are about to have it approved by all entities," he added.

Good health

At the moment, Panamanian Olympic athletes are in good health. Only fencer Arturo Dorati and triathlete Patricia Real announced that they were infected, but they have already recovered.

Athletes have also managed to stay in shape, one of them has been through virtual competitions. "I think that some, like Zwift for cycling and running, are here to stay, but never to replace real activity," Amado said.

Regarding the sports scholarships granted by the COP, through Olympic Solidarity, he stated that they continue. “This is not the time to stop supporting athletes. They continue training, although not in the best conditions, and try to stay in shape while they cannot go to their training places," concluded the sports leader.