Cycling Ireland has said it is not yet able to give a clear position on when Irish teams might be able to go and compete abroad this season.
While road racing
has been suspended at home and abroad since March it is set to resume in
Ireland next Tuesday and pro racing is also about to re-commence.
That means the
Irish national championships will go ahead this year and events such as the
Europeans and Worlds will also take place.
Despite that good
news, the national governing body said it does not have a definitive answer
about when Irish teams – road, track, paracycling and others – could be
selected to travel abroad and represent Ireland.
However, the answer to that question may come soon as the Government is expected to announce plans for foreign travel in just under two weeks.
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And it seems likely people will be able to travel from Ireland to some countries with little or no restrictions.
A “green list” of
countries is being drawn up by the Government and people will be able to travel
from Ireland to those countries. The nations on the list will be those with a similarly
low Covid19 infection rate to Ireland.
Yesterday,
Monday, it was announced that Ireland had once again had no Covid19 deaths in
the previous 24 hours and that just four new Covid19 infections had been diagnosed.
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At present there
is no ban on international travel to or from Ireland, though people are asked
to avoid unnecessary journeys
and to quarantine for 14 days on their return from abroad.
These conditions will not be required for people who travel from Ireland to the “green list” countries from July 20th. It means travel - including for leisure cycling and racing - will be possible to the green list countries without any quarantine conditions.
Cycling Ireland said despite the uncertainty in recent months due to Covid19, riders on Irish squads had continued to prepare for competition.
“We
acknowledge that there are major competitions on the horizon which you may be
seeking comment on and await clarification on Cycling Ireland’s stance towards
selecting and entering teams,” Cycling
Ireland said.
“At
present, we are monitoring decisions and proposals from the UCI and UEC on
calendars, as well as other event organisers on the progress and scheduling of
their planned events.
“We are
continuously engaged in seeking medical advice from our stakeholders, Sport
Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland, and are monitoring the wider
recommendations from our Governments and the WHO.”
However, when information and advice about foreign travel
was updated – which at present is set for July 20th – Cycling Ireland
said firm decisions could be made.
“In the
meantime, we will continue to monitor this situation closely as things unfold
and ensure that the relevant preparatory measures are in place so that at the
time a decision can be made, we can react quickly to have the Irish teams on
the starting line if safe to do so.”
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