ATHLETICS WEST COVID 19 UPDATE | 5 FEBRUARY 2021

As at 9.30am, Friday 5 February 2021

The Western Australian Government announced a plan to transition out of lockdown for Perth, Peel and the South West on Thursday 4 February, pending a return of zero reported cases of Covid-19 through community transmission.

To assist our Clubs/Centres, Members and stakeholders in preparing for the week ahead and on confirmation of zero new community cases today (5 February 2021), Athletics West will implement the following.

The State Government will be enforcing a 150-person capacity at all events including community sport until 12.01am on Sunday 14 February. Under these restrictions, the Go For 2&5 Competition scheduled for Friday 12 February 2021 cannot proceed and will be cancelled, due to the athlete, spectator, officials and staff numbers required to conduct the competition. As previously communicated, we will review the option of an additional competition offering in place of the cancelled competitions and the State 5,000m Championship, once we return to normal operations and restrictions return to those that were in place pre-lockdown. Until this time, we will not be rescheduling any events.

The South West region is expected to return to pre-lockdown restrictions from 6pm Friday 5 February and Clubs/Centres in this region may be able to return to normal operations, but we strongly encourage you to familiarise yourself with all relevant State and Local Government restrictions in place. Please note only essential travel is permitted in and out of the Perth and Peel regions to other parts of WA.

For the Perth and Peel regions, the 150-person capacity restriction applies and includes participants, officials, volunteers and spectators. Unfortunately for the majority of Clubs/Centres in these regions, this will likely mean your usual competition cannot be conducted this weekend or next. We strongly recommend Clubs/Centres take a cautious approach over the coming weeks, to ensure your Club/Centre administrators and volunteers have enough time to plan to deliver training and/or competition within the changing State and Local Government restrictions.

For our Little Athletics Program Members, please refer to your local Club/Centre directly for further information on training and competition.

Our staff will return to the Athletics West Office on Monday 8 February 2021 in a reduced capacity, however the office will remain closed to visitors for next week (8 – 12 February). All staff will be required to wear masks, check in using the SafeWA app and continue safety and hygiene practices.

The safety and wellbeing of our community continues to be our upmost priority in delivering the 2020-21 Season. We will continue to monitor and adapt our operations according to the advice of the State Government, but at this stage we will not be making any further decisions regarding scheduled State or National events (including WA Little Athletics State Qualifiers, WA State Championships and WA Little Athletics State Championships), until we receive further advice from the Western Australian Government, our affiliated national bodies and the Athletics West Board.

For information on Venues West facilities, including the WA Athletics Stadium and the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) High Performance Service Centre, please stay tuned to the relevant websites (listed below).

We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

We thank you for your understanding and commitment during this time to keeping our community safe. Stay safe and healthy and reach out if you need assistance.

Vince Del Prete
Chief Executive Officer
Athletics West

Further information regarding Covid-19 restrictions and closures

WA State Government: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/covid-19-information

Venues West: https://www.venueswest.wa.gov.au/

Western Australian Institute of Sport: http://wais.org.au/

Staff Contacts

Go for 2&5 and Little Athletics Competition Enquiries: Jake Trewin (jake@athleticswest.com.au) and Heath Bailey (heath@athleticswest.com.au)

State Teams, Coaching and Officiating: Danny Kevan (danny@athleticswest.com.au)

Membership Enquiries and contact for Club/Centres: Emma Pass (emma@athleticswest.com.au) and Danielle Portelli (danielle@athleticswest.com.au)

Media, Marketing & Communication: Lyndsay Troode (lyndsay@athleticswest.com.au) and David Smith (davidsmith@athleticswest.com.au)