Letter from Swim Ireland to all clubs

Dear Club Secretary,

As you are aware the Irish Government announced last night that all counties in the Republic of Ireland will move to Level 3 from midnight tonight (Tuesday 6 October 2020) for a period of three weeks.  As with all announcements we endeavour to provide you, our club volunteers with the information you require in a timely manner.

Clubs and members should adhere to Government guidance and follow the Swim Ireland ‘Living and Swimming with COVID-19’ Framework – our plan for the next 6-9 months which has been approved by the DTTAS/Sport Ireland Return to Sport Expert Group. We have seen Dublin and Donegal clubs continue to operate confidently under Level 3 restrictions in recent weeks which gives us great assurance in our club’s abilities to adapt to such requirements.  Whilst moving into Level 3 does bring with it a need to reduce numbers in lanes, we are thankful to Sport Ireland that we have been classified as an individual sport and can continue to operate our club activities. We would encourage clubs to support their athletes who unable to travel to club sessions in communicating with them and coaching them by virtual means if possible and clubs/coaches should also consider how they can collaborate with other clubs to access pool time in other locations.

As always, it is important to communicate and work closely with your facility to ensure you are both clear on all current protocols. Please remember that we are in this together and should support each other wherever possible in the interests of our sport and all of our members

The main points to note are as follows:

• Training – training may continue, as laid out in the ‘Living and Swimming with COVID-19’ Framework for your discipline
  • Please note for club activities the following updated numbers for the Republic of Ireland
    • 50m Pool – up to 6 individual athletes per lane
    • 25m Pool – up to 5 individual athletes per lane
    • 20m Pool – up to 4 individual athletes per lane

• Domestic travel – you should not travel outside your county unless for essential work or education purposes. Exceptions have been laid out in the Framework and in correspondence sent to clubs on Friday 2^nd October
  • Swimmers who are 16 years of age or over (age as of 31/12/2020) who have qualified for the 2020 Irish National Winter Championships, the 2021 Irish Open Championships and/or the 2021 Irish Summer National Championships may travel between counties for the purposes of training
  • Water Polo players who are 16 years of age or over, who are named by clubs as part of a 15-person squad who will compete in Division 1 or Division 2 matches may travel between counties for the purposes of training. Please see exception note for those attending education/ essential work at the bottom of this email
• Travel between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland – athletes should not travel from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland (or vice versa) for the purposes of training. Exceptions to this have been laid out in the Framework and above
• Competitions – A review is taking place of the virtual meet structure and updated guidance will issue on Wednesday – (7^th October 2020)

Education & Essential Worker Exceptions

Other than those athletes deemed to be at Senior National level (see above and/or the Framework for definitions/guidance), those athletes who live in one county may not travel to train with a club in another county.  The following exceptions apply:

Athletes who are travelling from one county to another county for full time education/as an essential worker and are attending an organised club training session directly before or afterwards (e.g. attending school/essential work in another county from 9.00am-4.00pm and travelling directly to facility for training at 5.00pm, or alternatively training at 5.00am-7.00am and travelling directly to essential work/school afterwards)

Notes:

• Athletes leaving one county to another county after education/essential work may not return to that county for training purposes
• Athletes should not remain in a county that they have travelled to for unnecessary prolonged periods of time
• Athletes may not travel to train with a club in another county on a non-education/essential workday (with this being Saturdays and Sundays in most cases)

Regards

Damien Fitzpatrick

Munster Support Officer