Sport is an essential source of physical and psychological health and well-being for many people. This industry includes facilities and institutions for different ages, and interest levels, up to the professional. Through the prism of the pandemic, this aspect becomes crucial, but at the same time, it faces many obstacles in terms of the place of employment. Public spaces such as outdoor playgrounds, gyms, and complexes tend to close completely under restrictions (Hargreaves et al., 2021). As a result, the sustainability of the development of this industry now depends mainly on the laws introduced on this topic at the state level. Compliance with them is now not only a tribute to social or environmental responsibility but also a direct and vital safety function. In addition to compliance with laws, applying new approaches and programs to the organization of sports activities based on the developed models will be a crucial feature of competitiveness and success. Two key elements in sustainability are compliance with new restrictions and the introduction of programs for the resumption of sports, while in risk management there are two more elements: the establishment of vaccination control systems and mitigation of the consequences of crises.
The original complete restriction on visiting such public places has undergone various changes over time. One of the most recent updates included the removal of restrictions on gatherings of one hundred people, as well as the wearing of masks, which, according to several experts, marked an important day for the sport (Craymer, 2022). However, these changes do not completely release all measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Sports facilities, such as stadiums and gyms, must also continue to comply with health regulations, which, if not followed, can lead to violations of the law (Hargreaves et al., 2021). Special markings in sports halls, in crowded places, organizing routes for moving in such institutions are part of a possible way out of this situation. For a comprehensive approach to these restrictions, a framework for informing about the resumption of sports is suitable. This aspect is essential because even minor problems significantly distract the New Zealand population from physical activity (Hargreaves et al., 2021). Habit formation is fast, making it difficult to keep track of the opening of a pool or other sports facilities to maintain physical activity (Hughes et al., 2020). Similar programs are being rolled out in Australia with the support of the state and with the involvement of a mass of experts in public health, exercise therapy, medicine, and sports.
Another trend since the spread of the pandemic has been an emphasis on safety and better risk management. COVID has created a crisis in many areas of people’s lives, reducing economic indicators and significantly raising costs. Sports facilities should also focus on user experience and security. This factor manifests itself in the aspects of vaccination control and mitigation of the consequences in the event of the development of new strains. With almost 95% of the New Zealand population already vaccinated twice, sports facilities with crowded people, such as stadiums, gyms, pools, need to have control systems in place that are accessible and user-friendly and will not cause inconvenience to visitors (Craymer, 2022). Such systems may include integration with software and cloud storage in the future. Mitigation programs were not well developed in the sports industry during the pandemic, but now there is a practical basis and a good reason for their creation. They include some restrictions introduced at certain thresholds for spreading the virus: social distance, crowding, and aspects of interaction with staff (Officer et al., 2022). Consequently, the pandemic has left its mark on the sports facilities business, creating new rules and conditions for operating in this environment. Compliance with these rules makes it possible to be competitive in the field of security, to which so much attention from state structures and the public has not previously been riveted.
References
Craymer, L. (2022). New Zealand sports to welcome back crowds as COVID rules eased,Reuters. Web.
Hargreaves, E. A., Lee, C., Jenkins, M., Calverley, J. R., Hodge, K., & Houge Mackenzie, S. (2021). Changes in physical activity pre-, during and post-lockdown COVID-19 restrictions in New Zealand and the explanatory role of daily hassles.Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 410. Web.
Hughes, D., Saw, R., Perera, N. K. P., Mooney, M., Wallett, A., Cooke, J., Coatsworth, N. & Broderick, C. (2020). The Australian Institute of Sport framework for rebooting sport in a COVID-19 environment.Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(7), 639-663. Web.
Officer, T. N., Imlach, F., McKinlay, E., Kennedy, J., Pledger, M., Russell, L., Churchward, M., Cumming, J. & McBride-Henry, K. (2022). COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown and Wellbeing: Experiences from Aotearoa New Zealand in 2020. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4), 2269. Web.