Elite athletes in Scotland given the go-ahead to return to training

Professional, performance and Olympic/Paralympic athletes can return to organised sessions

Elite athletes such as Scotland's Laura Muir can now return to training. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Elite athletes in Scotland have been given the go-ahead to return to training in groups under social-distancing guidelines.

The Scottish Government has approved plans for professional, performance and Olympic/Paralympic athletes to return to organised sessions following talks with sportscotland, which has published detailed guidelines.

The development comes after Celtic and Ross County players returned to training on Thursday, the day the suspension of all Scottish football activity was lifted for Premiership first-team squads only.

Stewart Harris, the chief executive of sportscotland said: "We all want to see sport return as soon as it is safe to do so but the most pressing priority at this time remains public health and well-being.

"We have been working closely with our partners including the Scottish Government and SGBs (sports governing bodies) to develop guidance, appropriate to Scotland, which follows the route-map through and out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Following the announcement of the move into phase one of the route-map on May 28, a number of outdoor non-contact sports were given approval to issue guidance to their communities to allow appropriate physical activity and exercise to take place.

"Our collective ambition has always been to progress both community and performance sport simultaneously and approval has now been given to allow commencement of the first stage of a return to professional/performance sport for athletes, coaches and support staff.

"This will allow engagement in outdoor, individual or group training, with appropriate physical distancing and health and hygiene measures in place. It will also allow travel to outdoor training sites beyond the current Scottish Government guideline of broadly five miles.

"These measures are very positive steps forward for the sport sector as we seek to rebuild our systems at all levels. Alongside our partners we will continue to play our part to ensure the transition back to sport, both in local communities and at a performance level, is as safe and effective as possible."

The guidelines include stipulations that indoor facilities remain closed to the public; a ban on spectating other than for adults supervising children or vulnerable adults; limits on participants to ensure social distancing; regular cleaning of equipment and removal of non-essential equipment such as benches and scoreboards. Detailed sport-specific guidelines have also been published.

Non-contact sports such as tennis and golf returned for the general public with restrictions when phase one was introduced in late May, while the Scottish Rugby Union this week confirmed its players would be invited to BT Murrayfield for individual training from June 22.