At this time, Special Olympics BC indoor in-person Club Fit programs are paused, in line with the current province-wide restrictions that include the prohibition of indoor adult fitness classes. This restriction is in place at least until January 18, 2022.
Special Olympics BC continues to carefully monitor the provincial health landscape and follow the guidance of the Provincial Health Officer to keep everyone safe. At this time, because of the strong safety protocols in the SOBC Communicable Disease Prevention Plan, all other in-person SOBC programs can continue without alterations, as long as all SOBC safety requirements are followed.
- If you are sick, do not attend your SOBC program or event.
- Make sure you are following all the hygiene requirements in the SOBC Communicable Disease Prevention Plan at all times.
We are so grateful to all athletes and volunteers for all their ongoing hard work on safety. We rely on you to continue your diligence in following all SOBC protocols, to keep ensuring the safety of Special Olympics participants, programs, and events.
Right now, for sports, the provincial health focus is on keeping sport programs open in safe ways. Adjacent activities like in-person social events are not permitted at this time.
Competitions
Right now, tournaments and competitions for team sports are not allowed. However, the PHO clarified that competitions for individual sports such as speed skating and figure skating can continue. As such, at this time the SOBC Speed Skating Regional Qualifier scheduled for January 16 is able to proceed. All participants must show their proofs of vaccination and must carefully follow all SOBC and venue safety protocols.
We will continue to monitor the emerging guidance for team sports competitions, and will let you all know as soon as we know of any changes.
Checking proof of vaccination
Volunteers checking proofs of vaccination are now required to use the BC Vaccine Card Verifier app (instead of just doing the visual check). Please click here to find app download links and instructions.
The requirement to scan is for vaccine proof checks moving forward, with any future events and any program registrants starting in January 2022. If your proof of vaccination has already been checked, you do not need to redo that to continue participating in your programs.
Proofs of vaccination at one-time events (including competitions) must be scanned. All event participants need to show their proofs of vaccination at one-time events, even if they already showed their proof of vaccination when they registered for their sport program. This is to make everything easier for volunteers managing events.
What's next
Special Olympics BC will continue to stay on top of the provincial health landscape and requirements, and will share any updates as soon as we can. However, there can sometimes be a delay between major announcements from the PHO and when provincial sport organizations receive clarification on what that means for sport programs and all our nuances. We greatly appreciate the patience of all SOBC members.
Thank you for your understanding of these short-term restrictions, and your ongoing commitment to safety. You are helping us all protect each other and get through this together.
If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact SOBC Vice President, Sport, Lois McNary at Lmcnary@specialolympics.bc.ca or 604-616-1341.