In line with the legal limitations of level 2 of the Covid-19 pandemic it appears that badminton can recommence in the country. This is a welcome occurrence after the long lockdown period we experienced.
Northern Cape Province has obtained the blessing of BSA (Interim President Dr. Klaas Visser and the BSA Board) to proceed with enquiries to the various provinces to obtain an estimate of the number of players that might be interested to play in either or both of the following age groups in November in Kimberley:
- Golden Eagles the year you turn 64 as from 2019 AGM in Robertson.
- Diamond Eagles the year you turn 69 and older as from 2019 AGM in Robertson.
Combining of the two age groups is to ensure that a sufficient number of players be obtained to warrant a tournament of SA standard and status.
There may be players that would want to play in both tournaments providing their correct ages.
The Golden Eagles tournament can be played in the mornings and the Diamond Eagles in the afternoon, in order to split the number of players in the hall at the same time.
This information will be critical to determine the livelihood of such tournament in November and it is requested that the information be submitted to the GE secretary Grace van Niekerk at your earliest convenience, and before Friday the 4th September 2020. The normal applications will follow afterwards.
Strict safety precautions will apply for this tournament, especially due to the vulnerable age of the players. This could be as follows:
- Sanitation of the hall and environment before and after play
- Only water and cool-drinks will be made available at the hall
Players will be requested to comply as given below:
- Sanitise their hands before entering the hall
- Wear masks when entering hall and during the period in-between play.
- Masks should not be worn when players enter onto the courts
- Daily temperature screening will be taken at the hall and indicated on the applicable information forms.
- Players with any kind of cold or sickness should declare it and withdraw from all play.
- Health questionnaire and Indemnity forms will be made available and should be signed by all players upfront when the official applications are forwarded to the provinces.
A positive response is hoped for, in order to make this tournament a reality, as a number of our players are hungry for a tournament after been (locked up) for a few months.
Grace the Grand Eagles secretary has had a number of telephone calls and WhatsApp’s to enquire about the tournament, but had to go through the proper channels to ensure a safe and compliant investigation and way forward as per Government directives.
Attached the letter from Klaas Visser Acting Badminton South Africa granting the Grand Eagles to probe for the possibility of the tournament go ahead.
This will only be possible if we can get enough teams.
Please respond ASAP to the Grand Eagles Committee Chairman Mr. Peter Czank to commence with the operational planning.