Ireland's Padraig McCarthy, individual silver medallist at the 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games
Horse Sport Ireland has delivered a comprehensive submission to the Irish Government, aimed at ensuring a resumption of equestrian activity, when current Covid-19 restrictions are lifted
Horse Sport Ireland, the Governing Body for Equestrian Sport in Ireland, has advocated the uniqueness of equestrianism in the context of safe sport return with CEO Ronan Murphy saying that
“In anticipation of some relaxation in the lockdown controls, we have developed an initial protocol to address the public health threats due to Coronavirus that could present at an equestrian venue when training sessions or competitions are taking place”
“Our sport is unique given that it is deemed low risk, it’s a non-contact sport, it’s largely outdoor in its activity which does not enjoy large spectatorship, and as a result of that and the mitigation measures which we have outlined in our submission, we would like our sport to be considered as one to trial in the first wave of sports permitted to resume in a limited fashion. I have no doubt that when equestrian activity is permitted to resume that the sport horse community will be ambassadors to other sports in the context of vigilance and compliance.”
The Irish Sport Horse industry, is worth over €816 million per annum to the Irish economy and directly supports over 14,000 full time jobs and the proposal is aimed at ensuring that the relevant Government authorities have a detailed plan in place from the sector, in order to assist them in making a fully informed decision.
In the preparation of the document, Horse Sport Ireland consulted the World Health Organisation Interim guidance for sports federations/sports event organiser in the context of COVID-19, which was issued on 14 April 2020. The guidance sets out the key issues and mitigation options to consider when planning sporting activities.
The full submission by Horse Sport Ireland is available to view HERE
