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Pilot mass runs, cycling events of up to 250 participants now allowed under new COVID-19 guidelines

Pilot mass runs, cycling events of up to 250 participants now allowed under new COVID-19 guidelines

File photo of participants at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore in 2016.

SINGAPORE: Pilot sport events with mass participation are now allowed, with new guidelines released by Sport Singapore (SportSG) on Tuesday (Apr 6) stipulating up to 250 participants a session in waves of up to 50.

Mass runs, open-water swims, cycling and triathlon events are some examples that typically fall under this category.

In an updated advisory on organising sport event pilots during Phase 3 of Singapore's COVID-19 reopening, SportSG said different sessions are to be adequately separated by time to avoid participants congregating at the venue.

"Organisers may propose the number of sessions and time interval between sessions to ensure safe participation, which may vary depending on context," said SportSG.

Sport events with mass participation will still not be allowed to have more than 250 participants. Organisers are also not allowed to invite spectators and measures should be in place "to prevent spontaneous gathering of onlookers for such events", added SportSG.

COMPETITIONS AND TOURNAMENTS

SportSG also announced on Tuesday a second category of sport event pilots - sport competitions and tournaments without spectators. These refer to events that involve timed races or head-to-head matches where there could be multiple heats or qualifying rounds.

Approved events must not exceed 50 people a session in each facility, with different sessions "adequately separated within a day or across multiple days" to avoid congregation.

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Each match is capped at eight people, including referees who need to be in the field of play. If there are multiple matches, close contact must not exceed 50 people a day for each participant.

"For example, if a team plays multiple matches a day, each team member shall not play more than 49 others (including teammates) in a day," said SportSG.

LIVE SPECTATOR EVENTS

As announced by the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force last month, sport events with live spectators are also allowed. These can have up to 750 spectators with pre-event testing implemented or up to 250 spectators without pre-testing.

According to the latest guidelines, spectators are to be divided into zones of up to 50 people, but organisers can apply to do without zoning "if they can ensure compliance with all other safe management measures".

These include having spectators remain seated and masked throughout the event, as well as mandating the use of TraceTogether for SafeEntry check-in to the venue.

ORGANISERS TO APPLY 30 DAYS BEFORE EVENT

"As part of the pilot, all sport events that involve more than 50 persons (including participants, spectators, officials, event crew and support staff) will need to be endorsed by Sport Singapore before they can be implemented," said the agency.

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Organisers must submit their application at least 30 days before the start of the event "to give time for evaluation and discussion", said SportSG, adding that they are advised not to publicise the event before it is endorsed.

This is because changes may be required, and organisers will be responsible for any additional costs incurred due to the changes or compensations to participants if the event is postponed or cancelled, SportSG said.

Among the measures to reduce physical interaction, organisers are to minimise crowding at common facilities, such as registration counters, common corridors and toilets.

Live spectators should also remain in their assigned seats throughout and "refrain from talking or cheering loudly", said the advisory.

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Source: CNA/jt(ac)

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