From caps on crowds to restrictions on equipment, Cayman’s sports associations and athletes are having to pivot to keep in line with the country’s COVID-19 regulations.

Among the new COVID protocols, fitness centres, such as gyms, are required to have everyone, including athletes, present proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result taken no more than 48 hours before entering the various facilities. The regulations also restrict public gatherings to 250 people outdoors and 100 indoors.

Cayman’s focus sports – athletics, basketball, netball, swimming, football, cricket, volleyball and squash – have adopted varying policies to keep pace with the regulations.

The Cayman Islands Football Association has postponed its senior leagues as well as its Youth Football Festival due to the restrictions. It’s a decision CIFA president Alfredo Whittaker was not pleased with making.

“One of the things we are considering is playing our games without spectators,” Whittaker told the Cayman Compass.

He expressed disappointment with the regulations, stating that they represented a biased approach by the government. “The regulations were made to affect sports,” he said. “It doesn’t affect the bars or the clubs, only sports.”

The Cayman Islands Basketball Association also decided to halt action on the courts.
“All programmes are on hold until further notice,” CIBA technical director Victor ‘Voot’ O’Garro told the Compass.

Meanwhile, the Cayman Islands Squash Club has continued league play. However, with children under 12 unable to take the vaccine, the squash club has cancelled its youth programmes for now.

“It has affected the squash junior programmes,” a CISC representative told the Compass. “We are following the regulations the best we can, with the using of masks inside and encouraging everyone to stay healthy. However, when you take sports away from people, it affects them emotionally, physically, and mentally… which doesn’t help when you’re trying to fight off the virus.”

The Cayman Islands Volleyball Association continues to run minor competitions with less than 100 people present.

Other focus sports organisations – like the Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association, Cayman Islands Athletics Association and Cayman Islands Netball Association – have not yet begun their competitive seasons.

While boxing is not considered a focus sport, the Cayman Islands Boxing Association announced through its social media platforms, “We will be unable to share [boxing] gloves, please bring your own towel, proof of vaccination or negative PCR test taken within 48 hours.”

The newest COVID-19 regulations are scheduled to expire on 22 Nov. but may be amended before that date, according to government.

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