Sport has been held behind closed doors since its return
LONDON, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK government is confident it can move towards a safe return for fans to watch sporting events in stadiums, says Minister for Sport Nigel Huddleston.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said spectators could be able to return to stadiums in England from October.
On Tuesday, Warwickshire faced Worcestershire at Edgbaston as part of a pilot programme that saw a limited number fans allowed inside the ground.
“We need to take the natural baby steps moving forward,” said Huddleston.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the MP for Mid Worcestershire said the government will look at the pilot events and how to build up the number of spectators over time.
“I’m confident that we can find a way to move forward,” he added.
“Of course, whether it’s sports stadiums or theatres and all sorts of other things, we’ve seen in other countries there is a way to get full audiences without a vaccine.
“I’m confident that there are measures that can be put in place that can give both those taking part in the sports and spectators confidence that they are going to somewhere safe.”
Among the pilot events are the World Snooker Championship, the Goodwood horse racing festival, and another county cricket friendly between Surrey and Middlesex at The Oval.
Any stadium re-openings are subject to coronavirus guidelines.
And Professor James Calder – who has chaired the cross-sport working group with government and health officials on the return to sport – has told BBC Sport that sports events are highly unlikely to have full capacity crowds this year. — NNN-AGENCIES
