News Related to the Impact of COVID-19
2021 FPUSA PROVISIONAL COVID-19 POLICY
NOTE: The FPUSA Board of Directors approved the following policy on April 22, 2021. On April 27th, the CDC changed it's guidance for outdoor mask requirements for vaccinated people. We will take this into account as the tournament season progresses and make adjustments to the event-specific policy according to state/local regulations in effect at the location and time of the event.
FPUSA is the internationally recognized national sport governing body for the sport of petanque in the United States. Our sanctioned competitions are often held on public park properties, and clubs are obligated to abide by the rules and regulations imposed by the entity in charge. |
Additionally, the FPUSA Bylaws, Article XII – Code of Behavior, establishes the right and responsibility of the governing body to regulate behavior of its members at the organization’s events.
The COVID-19 Policy is intended to facilitate the safe and responsible reopening of normal FPUSA tournament operations. COVID-19 has presented literally ALL sport governing bodies the challenge of holding competitions under restricted conditions in order to responsibly minimize the chances for transmission of the virus between competitors, spectators, coaches, staff, and volunteers. FPUSA is no different than any other national sport-governing body in terms of its legal, ethical, and moral responsibilities. |
HOW DID FPUSA DEVELOP THE COVID-19 POLICY?
The policy has been informed by the CDC publications listed (weblinks) below. The CDC offers the following comment:
"This information is for youth and adult athletes considering participating in a sports league or team…This information is not designed to provide guidance to adult sports leagues or organizations who plan or manage competition. CDC does not currently have guidance for adult sports leagues, however organizations and administrators can reference the Considerations for Youth Sports to find strategies for reducing exposure risks during sports competition." FPUSA has chosen to follow the advice provided by the CDC’s “Consideration for Youth Sports Administrators,” which we believe closely match the conditions under which FPUSA-sanctioned tournaments are held. |
Note in the CDC infographic (second link) the statement: “Full competition from different areas” is the highest-risk category.
The COVID-19 crisis in the US may improve, or it may get worse. Accordingly, the regulations will be reviewed and revised as necessary for each tournament. CDC Publications Informing FPUSA COVID-19 Health & Safety Policy. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/youth-sports.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/playing-sports.html |
GENERAL HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
Note: Due to the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the host club tournament director will coordinate with the designated on-site FPUSA representative to establish specific policy for each individual tournament (i.e. policies appropriate for a May tournament may not be appropriate for a September tournament). These are expected to vary depending on the current trend of COVID-19 infections, and may vary significantly from one geographic location to another.
1. The Policy will include, at a minimum: a) current CDC recommendations (see weblinks), and b) any additional state/local restrictions on outdoor sporting activities if those exceed CDC recommendations. If local guidelines are less restrictive than the currently published recommendations published by the CDC, the CDC guidelines shall take precedence. Current (as of 4/16/21) CDC recommendations include minimizing attendance, mandatory mask usage, minimum 6-feet social distancing at all times, refraining from singing-shouting, always covering sneeze/cough, frequent hand washing and/or use of hand sanitizer. |
2. All players, volunteer staff, and non-participants in the defined arena area shall be required to sign their name and contact phone number on an event attendees sheet. The document will be used for contact tracing should that be necessary. Anyone exhibiting signs or symptoms of illness that may be related to COVID-19 shall be refused entry to the event, or asked to leave if this occurs after admittance. For this reason it is imperative that all participants take maximum precautions in the two weeks leading up to the tournament. Any competitor, volunteer, or spectator planning to attend
must cancel their plans if there is any doubt whatsoever that they have been exposed to COVID-19, or are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. 3. Hand sanitizer and masks shall be made available at no cost to players, officials, and volunteers. FPUSA shall reimburse host clubs for these expenses, which must be approved in advance by the FPUSA President, or a designee. |
COVID-19 TOURNAMENT PLAY REGULATIONS
1. Each team shall designate a team captain, who alone will be responsible for interactions with tournament officials on behalf of the team. These interactions include: observing measurements (at least 6 feet from the umpire); communications related to umpire rulings, complaints, etc.; reporting scores to the scorekeeper; receiving next-round pairings and court assignments. Captains shall also be responsible for scorekeeping.
2. Each team shall provide their own jack, with only one designee handling it. The team with the right to play first will provide the jack for that end. |
3. At the beginning of each game, each team will designate only one player to handle the ring. If the ring is moved during the end, the designated player shall replace it. The ring shall be sanitized after each game.
4. Social distancing (6 feet) and mask wearing is mandatory. The only exceptions are when a player is in the circle, or when eating/drinking. Players, officials, spectators, and/or volunteers from the same household may congregate more closely during the lunch break or other breaks in the course of the day’s events. The SC designee will coordinate with the host club to string courts in such a manner as to effectively facilitate 6-feet social distancing, with the understanding this may be challenging if court space is limited. |
DOWNLOAD COVID-19 POLICY AND OTHER DOCUMENTS: May 3, 2021
FIPJP ANNOUNCEMENT
FIJP announces postponement of the Men's World Championships. Follow the link for more details. https://fipjp.org/index.php/en/23-informations-uk/347-the-world-championships-2020-postponed 2021 BIRMINGHAM WORLD GAMES POSTPONED FPUSA Vice President Frank Guzman, who is also the Boules Sports Competition Manager for the World Games received notice that the 2021 Games will be postponed to 2022. Click here to read the press release for the specifics. |
STAY SAFE AND WELL
We hope all of you are safe and healthy, and are following the guidelines set forth by national, state, and local authorities. Hopefully a return to normalcy is not too far in the future. |