Republic of Ireland Rowing Ireland Covid-19 Protocols

Frequently Asked Questions

The Republic of Ireland Government has updated the guidance for sports clubs, there is no change for outdoor sports with some changes made to indoor sporting activities.

FAQ’sQuestionAnswerReasoning (Information Resource)
1Can club members train in crew boats?Yes.All members can train, which must include a qualified coach and if required a parent for safeguarding purposes.  
2Can club members travel outside their county?  Yes.There is no restriction to inter county travel.
3Can individual rowers go out in sculls from the club?  Yes.Individual training is allowed.
4Can dressing rooms and clubhouses remain open?Yes.Where all individuals are vaccinated the use of showers and changing rooms is permitted.   Where individuals have mixed immunity status the use of these facilities should be pod based.   See Sport Ireland Guidance note. (November 2021) Link.  
5Are clubs required to look for proof of vaccination or recovery from covid to allow access to club gyms?No.Sport Ireland advice is, that only gyms in the fitness and leisure industry are required to see a COVID pass (vaccination or recovery) for people using their facilities.  
6Can Gyms with plenty of room and ventilation be used while maintaining social distancing and apply strict sanitation protocols?Yes.If all members attending the session are vaccinated there is no limit to numbers.   If it is a mixed session (vaccinated and unvaccinated) pods of six must be adhered to with strict social distancing between pods.   See Sport Ireland Guidance note. (November 2021) Link.  
7Can more than one pod of 6 train indoors at the same time?Yes.A clear and obvious separation must be maintained at all times. Coaches may interact between the two pods, but they must wear facemasks.  
8Can coaches interact with more than one pod?Yes.Facemasks must be worn by coaches and support personnel.
9Must participating attendees at allowed training sessions wear a face mask?No.Facemasks may be worn by attendees participating in the session but it is not mandatory. Coaches and support staff must wear facemasks.  
10Can outdoor rowing events take place?  Yes.No change to outdoor events.
11Can indoor competition take place?Yes.With 50% spectator capacity only. Spectators must have proof of vaccination or proof of recovery from virus to gain entry to the venue. Spectators must be fully seated.  
12Can members of pods travel together to and from training?Yes.Private transport (carpooling) carrying those not yet vaccinated or of mixed immunity should be aware of higher risk. The use of appropriate face masks is recommended. If carpooling consider use of pod system in which the same participants pool together for all activities.  
13Who do we need to keep contact details of during club activities?Yes.A log of all persons attending any club activity must be kept including; coaches, athletes and support personnel, with contact information to enable contact tracing, should it be required.    
14Does our club require a COVID-19 Compliance Officer?Yes.Designating COVID compliance officers is a good way to help with coordination of risk mitigation actions.  
15Should the use of the covid doc 1 & 2 documents on the Rowing Ireland website continue to be used for events?  Yes.The covdoc1 and covdoc2 documents have been updated to reflect the current guidance from the government.

Any club or group that is not in a position to apply these measures or enforce them should not hold training sessions.

Any local club or group found to be in breach of these measures will result in the club being excluded from the exemption to be allowed training indoors.

Please see the Sport Ireland Return to Sport Guidance Note November 2021 Here, also Statement on COVID-19 public health measures – 3 December 2021 Here.