The Superintendent of Public Health has published a list of sporting activities that are currently allowed, as well as standards that need to be followed during such activities.
This comes after measures were introduced which banned all “organised” sport activities. At first, there was a lack of clarity as to which sports were able to be practised and which weren’t, and reports were being made about people practising sports.
The Health Superintendent clarified that Organised Sport Activities refer to “sports activities and the formal practice of sport in groups which are organised and planned, and carried out by a sporting organisation such as an association, club or federation or a sporting event even when organised by an individual organiser or a group of organisers.”
Enforcement of breaches of the Organised Sport Activities Regulations is going to be exercised against representatives of the relevant sport organisers, she said.
The authorities have, however, issued a list of sports activities that are allowed, as long as they adhere to a number of standards and regulations, and as long as they do not fall under the ‘organised sport activities’ ban. The sports that are allowed are: Walking, power walking, jogging, running and athletic activity, fitness and dance sessions with adequate social distancing of 2m between all persons, cycling, climbing, horse riding, golf, tennis, padel, shooting, swimming, sailing on individual dinghies or on larger boats where adequate social distancing between all persons can be respected, archery, fishing, gymnastics, motor sport, model aircrafts, scuba diving, skateboarding, surfing and weightlifting.
For all these activities, the following standards and regulations must be followed.
People can only gather outdoors in groups of no more than 4 (unless they come from the same household) to carry out a recreational physical activity and sporting activity for the purpose of exercise and keeping fit. Such activities must abide by the Public Gathering Regulations.
Indoor sporting and physical activity in private properties must abide by the same regulations as those in the Groups of Persons in Residential Properties Regulations.
Contact between persons prohibited and masks are to be worn at all times except for high intensity physical activity.
Any form of competition is strictly prohibited, the authorities said.
Also, sporting and physical activity must not be done in such a way as to have or attract any spectators.
The Health Superintendent advised all people to comply with any other legislation at all times.
The legal document also states that the Superintendent for public health may, in her discretion and subject to any conditions she may impose, exempt, from the Organised Sport Activities Regulations, national Maltese sport teams in relation to international games.