Return to Sports and Exercise during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance for High School and Collegiate Athletic Programs
“Return to Sports and Exercise during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance for High School and Collegiate Athletic Programs” was created to serve as a resource for sport organizations, high schools, and college sport programs to return to sports safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This document will:
- Discuss how and why physical distancing presents added and unique risk to athletes.
- Identify various risk profiles.
- Identify how to mitigate risk with tools and resources already available.
- Discuss considerations for interruptions to normal seasons, and when this document may be implemented.5.
- Specifically address the following topics:
- Pre-participations evaluations
- Return to physical activity/conditioning
- Heat acclimatization
- Injury prevention (preventative training programs)
- Education for related items
This document is endorsed by:
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM),
- Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa)
- Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI)
- Korey Stringer Institute (KSI)
- National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA)
- National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR)
- National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Return to Sports and Exercise During the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 Policy Template
We have created a policy template to help organizations to adopt and implement the information outlined in the Return to Sports and Exercise document.