Pac-12 to allow voluntary workouts starting June 15
The Pac-12 Conference announced Tuesday it will allow voluntary in-person athletic workouts for all sports to commence on June 15, “subject to the decision of each individual campus and where permissible by relevant governmental entities.”
Last week, the NCAA announced it would permit conferences and schools to reopen for on-campus voluntary athletically related activities on June 1. The conference then decided to update its COVID-19 pandemic policy during a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group earlier on Tuesday.
“The Pac-12 is committed to the well-being of our student-athletes, and the decision to allow for voluntary workouts, subject to a determination by each school, is guided by the advice of our medical experts and will be supported by the detailed protocols established by our medical advisory committee in concert with our campus’ own safety guidelines,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement.
“As states have either already opened or begin to open up access to parks, gyms and other training facilities, student-athletes should have the option at this time to be in, what for many, will be a much safer environment on campus, where they can have access to the best available health, well-being and training support.”
Under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan, Washington state is using a staged approach to reopening. Small gatherings of no more than five people are permitted in Phase 2, while gatherings of no more than 50 people are permitted in Phase 3. Gatherings of 50 or more people aren’t permitted until Phase 4.
While some counties in the state have moved to Phase 2, King County — home to the University of Washington — currently remains in Phase 1. Unless a county is approved to move to the next phase early, phases are supposed to last at least three weeks. Under the current plan, King County wouldn’t reach Phase 4 until July.
In a release, the Pac-12 said its decision was “informed by a comprehensive set of best practice guidelines and protocols established by the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee.” The committee includes infectious disease specialists, physicians, researchers and trainers connected to conference universities.
“As educational institutions, our highest obligation is to the health and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff,” Pac-12 CEO Group Chair and University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano said in a statement. “As we considered the pros and cons of taking steps that can pave a path to returning to play, those considerations were foremost, guided by the advice of our own medical experts along with public health officials.”
The Medical Advisory committee has provided detailed recommended protocols.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
