20 Dec Interim findings published for Limiting Virus Transmission at sports stadia
As swathes of professional football and rugby union matches are postponed across Europe this weekend, sports clubs and governing bodies are once again having to consider measures for limiting virus transmission of the newest variant of COVID-19 – Omicron. The new variant is fast becoming the dominant variant in many countries putting acute pressure on sport to respond on order to protect players, staff and fans attending matches.
We are therefore pleased to publish the first Briefing Paper from the project ‘Limiting Virus Transmission during Sporting Mega Events (LIVE)’ covering interim findings and recommendations from the research conducted to date. You can access the briefing in the link below:
https://healthystadia.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LIVE-Project-Briefing-Paper-Dec-2021.pdf
The LIVE project is funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (grant no: EP/V055291/1), and is currently being delivered by researchers at University of Stirling, Loughborough University, and the European Healthy Stadia Network.
This study provides evidence regarding measures to mitigate virus transmission risks during UEFA EURO 2020, to help inform the planning and delivery of future large sporting or cultural events. We anticipate that this project briefing will be of interest to organisers of large-scale sports event and tournaments, governing bodies of sport, and public health professionals working in the space of COVID-19 mitigation.
The briefing paper focusses on UK host venues and cities for UEFA EURO 2020 (Glasgow and London), and details findings from three work packages that have been informed through the following sources of data:
- policy analysis and stakeholder interviews;
- fan experience feedback (n=509); and,
- matchday observer reports (n=31).
The briefing paper also includes a set of recommendations to assist and enhance COVID-19 mitigation measures for sports events.
To find out more about the LIVE project and the individual work packages for this piece of timely research, please click here.
For more information, please contact: matthew.philpott@healthystadia.eu
