New measures against coronavirus also affect combat sports

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In response to the resurgence of the coronavirus, the government has announced new measures that also affect combat sports. Events in particular are coming under further pressure, because no spectators will be permitted for the time being.

(Item updated on 29 September 2020 at 9:00)

Within a few weeks, the Netherlands has become one of the largest coronavirus hotspots in Western Europe. This has led to additional measures. They have been published on the website of the central government (Rijksoverheid). They took effect on Tuesday 29 September and apply for three weeks. If they prove successful, they can be relaxed in three weeks. If they turn out to be insufficient, they will be tightened.

There is even less scope for events in the period ahead. No spectators at all may be present at sports events. This applies to both amateur and professional sport.

Training sessions at gyms fall under the exception to the rule that no more than 30 people may gather in a single indoor space. Gyms may therefore continue to train in accordance with the current training protocol. Sports canteens are required to close for three weeks.

In addition to the national measures, a number of safety regions (veiligheidsregio's) have issued a supplementary "urgent advice". This concerns Amsterdam-Amstelland, Haaglanden, Rotterdam-Rijnmond and Brabant Zuidoost. The advice is to wear a face mask in all indoor spaces that are accessible to the public. This includes gyms. The Vechtsportautoriteit (Combat Sports Authority) considers that this advice cannot practically be followed by combat sports gyms during training.

The event protocol and the training protocol have now been amended.

The VA asks everyone not to contact us with questions until then. At present we genuinely cannot tell you more than we publish here. In addition, the VA needs all the time it has for, among other things, lobbying "The Hague" (the seat of national government) in order to safeguard the outlook for the combat sports sector.

So keep an eye on our website for updates. If you want to stay fully informed, sign up for our newsletter as well.