BBNZ | COVID-19 Updates

Those operating out of Auckland will no doubt be welcoming Government’s decision to drop to Alert Level 1 alongside the rest of Aotearoa at 11.59pm this Wednesday. As a nation we should once again be proud of having contained the virus by working together and being vigilant.

Under Alert Level 1 the disease is largely contained in New Zealand, however COVID-19 is uncontrolled overseas, and there may be isolated household transmission occurring. It would be prudent to note that at any time, we should be prepared to change alert levels once more. The COVID-19 safe operating plans you have been successfully implementing should be kept at hand, to use when needed.

The main controls under Alert Level 1 are border restrictions and managed isolation or quarantine for people entering the country. Sport, active recreation and play under Alert Level 1 looks like much like it did pre-COVID-19, but with border restrictions. There are no restrictions on businesses and services, no restrictions on gatherings, no requirements for physical distancing, although you must display a QR code for contact tracing purposes. More information on alert level 1 can be found here.

Large events such as sports games or tournaments are able to go ahead without gatherings controls. However if outbreaks of COVID-19 occur again in New Zealand, limits on gatherings could be one of the first responses. Organisers should be aware they may be asked to postpone or cancel gatherings under the circumstance that an outbreak has occurred or if case numbers increase.

As we continue to strive to keep Aotearoa New Zealand at Level 1, please remember 10 golden rules:

1. If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t go to work, school or socialise.
2. If you have cold or flu-like symptoms, call your doctor or healthline, and get advice about getting tested.
3. Self-isolate if you’re told by officials to do so.
4. Wash your hands.
5. Sneeze or cough into your elbow and regularly clean shared surfaces.
6. Stay healthy, work with your GP if you have underlying health issues.
7. Keep track of where you’ve been.
8. If you are a business or service, display a QR code.
9. Stay vigilant.
10. Be kind to others and be kind to yourself.

Sport NZ Partner Update 21 September 2020

As you will have heard, Government has today announced a further de-escalation in alert levels across New Zealand.

For Auckland this means a move to Alert Level 2 with an increase in the gatherings limit from 11.59pm on Wednesday. For the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand, the move to Alert Level 1 starts 11.59pm tonight.

What this means for Auckland:

• Alert Level 2 means the disease is contained but there is risk of community transmission
• Sport and recreation can take place as long as contact tracing and appropriate hygiene measures are in place
• However gatherings, where people come into close contact, are limited to 100, including all players, spectators and officials
• Multiple gatherings can take place in a defined space as long as those gatherings remain separated at all times
• It’s still important to maintain physical distancing when out and about; masks are required on public transport and planes
• You can travel regionally but Aucklanders should take their alert level restrictions with them
• If you are travelling to another region for an event, check with the organisers to see if you can participate in that event safely
• Naturally anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must isolate and get advice about getting tested

What this means for the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand:

• The main controls under Alert Level 1 are border controls and quarantine for those entering the country
• There are no gatherings limits but you should continue to focus on good hygiene measures and display a QR code
• Masks are not mandatory but are encouraged on public transport and planes
• If you are organising any kind of event or tournament, you should keep in mind that alert levels could change at any time, and you may have to modify the format, postpone or cancel the gathering, depending on the situation
• Naturally anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must isolate and get advice about getting tested

Alert Level Tables are available on our website detailing the Government requirements for operating in all alert levels.

The Aon U15 and U17 Nationals are still scheduled with signs looking positive for these two events.

Yesterday the Government indicated that, should the fight against COVID-19 continue positively, all regions outside of Auckland will likely drop to Alert Level One from next Tuesday 22 September. This allows Basketball New Zealand to plan with a higher degree of assurance that the U15 and U17 Nationals will go ahead on Labour Weekend, 24-26 October.

Alert 1 | As mentioned consistently throughout our COVID-19 updates, under the Government COVID-19 Alert level framework, Alert Level One is the only level that will allow for Basketball New Zealand’s large events. Nationals cannot be held at Alert Level 2 due to the 100-person gathering limit (outlined on the COVID-19 website). This stance is supported by Sport New Zealand and School Sport New Zealand. A strong adherence to our duty of care for our community and the wider New Zealand public is important.

Auckland | The possibility that Auckland may remain in Alert Level 2 adds some uncertainty for Auckland based teams (Franklin, Counties, Auckland, Waitakere, Harbour and Hibiscus). The Government requires Aucklanders to carry Alert Levels with them when travelling. If Auckland is still in Alert Level 2 come Labour Weekend, teams in the Auckland region will not be allowed to attend the U15 and U17 Nationals due to this Government requirement. We hope that Auckland will be at Alert Level 1 before Labour Weekend, but it’s important people are aware of the possibility for Auckland restrictions to continue.

U15 Aon Nationals to be hosted in Waikato | We need to consider contingencies should Auckland remain in Level 2. For this reason, the Under 15 Aon Nationals will now be hosted in the Waikato (venues TBA). This is widely supported by Associations, who we consulted with over the weekend.

Waikato is a good option so people can still keep their Auckland flights if necessary and have the option to drive South (approximately a 90 minute drive). The Waikato also has a good supply of accommodation options.

Basketball New Zealand is also considering further contingencies including the possibility of 12-teams per gender events instead of 16-team events should the Auckland teams not be able to attend.

Reminder | This is a timely reminder that everyone should be aware of and adhere to the Alert Level requirements. We all have a responsibility to play our part in helping to contain the virus. Remember:

• Use the Government COVID-19 tracing app
• Stick to the rules of your alert level
• Ensure good hygiene measures
• Make sure you are up to date with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 webpage and the NZ Government COVID-19 webpage.
• If anyone is feeling unwell, they should seek appropriate medical advice if necessary – Healthline – 0800 611 116

We are also aware a number of providers are considering hosting inter-regional school events. If you are at Alert Level 2, ensure you are doing this safely. There are restrictions that should be followed, with more information in our last COVID-19 update here.

Still Scheduled:

• Aon U15 Nationals. Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend), Waikato (Venues TBA).
• Aon U17 Nationals. Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Cowles Stadium and Bishopdale YMCA in Christchurch
• Schick 3×3 Cup, ILT Stadium, Invercargill. Thursday November 12 to Saturday 14 November.
• Sal’s NBL 18 in 18, 19 November – 6 December.

Basketball New Zealand has been in discussions with some Associations and schools that are considering running regional basketball events for schools and age-groups, which can be more contained and potentially held at short notice if the Alert Levels decrease.

We are supportive of these events if they are held in line with the intentions of the Government’s Alert Level Guidelines and where strong health and safety precautions to combat the spread of COVID-19 are applied.

If operating at Alert Level 2 (currently in force everywhere except Auckland which is under additional restrictions at Alert Level 2.5), basketball providers should proceed with caution and remember:

• Hosts should not operate events with gatherings of over 100 people. The Government limit on total gatherings at Alert Level 2 is 100 (outside of Auckland). This requirement is to decrease the chance of spread. There is some confusion about how this rule should be applied. Basketball New Zealand is clear in our view, as is School Sport NZ and Sport NZ: The 100-person limit applies to the whole event. For example, it is not ok to operate an event over two venues with separate gatherings, then cross teams over later in the event for final rounds thereby creating new sets of 100 to do so. This would be an attempt to ‘work around’ the COVID-19 restrictions, it is risky and unsafe, and not in keeping with the intentions of the Government’s guidelines.

• The Government Alert Level requirements are clear that if anyone is travelling to an event or meeting, they are expected to carry their home Alert Level with them. For example, Auckland is currently operating under Alert Level 2.5 which has a ten-person gathering limit, so anyone from Auckland should only attend maximum gatherings of ten no matter where the gathering is held. There is the possibility that Auckland may continue at Alert Level 2 while the rest of New Zealand drops to Alert Level 1. This means any teams form Auckland would need to play within the limit that applies to Auckland, even if the event is held outside Auckland.

• Ensure you are meeting the contract tracing and hygiene requirements, as outlined on the Government’s COVID-19 website.

• BBNZ guidelines specific to hosting a basketball tournament: It may help to read this webpage outlining considerations if operating under the mass gathering restrictions of 100.

The 2020 Basketball New Zealand Secondary Schools National Championships and the Under 13 Regionals have been cancelled due to COVID-19 and the restrictions on gatherings under Alert Level 2. Basketball New Zealand’s major events can only run under Alert Level 1 restrictions or better.

Chief Executive Iain Potter says Basketball New Zealand had been hopeful of running the competitions but, with the nation still operating under Alert Level 2 until at least 16 September, regrettably that time is too close to the tip off dates.

“We are genuinely disappointed and feel for all the young basketball players who have been hanging out for these events. To those senior secondary school players especially, we very much wanted to host the event for you and have been holding off on this decision in the hope that it would be possible.

“The reality is parents and Associations are seeking assurance now. Participants need time to book accommodation and lock in potentially non-refundable deposits. The changing flight schedule also makes it difficult for people to book without certainty of the event being played. Right now, we would need to be confident that, by their tip off dates, Level 1 conditions would prevail across all of New Zealand. We don’t have that assurance.

“Ultimately, we also have a duty of care to ensure it is safe. Unfortunately, COVID-19 still has a presence in New Zealand.”

School Sport New Zealand were consulted and agree with the decision to cancel.

Mr Potter says some Associations have already started to consider running smaller localised events and Basketball New Zealand will be discussing further options with Associations early next week.

“If some localised events can be run safely, within the requirements of the alert levels, then that would be great.

“The clear message from the Prime Minister is that we all need to remain vigilant. Mass gatherings can be the catalyst for a large COVID-19 outbreak and we don’t want that to happen. We support the Government’s stance on safety and trying to stamp out COVID-19 in New Zealand.”

Where some form of competition takes place in local communities, Basketball New Zealand is advising basketball providers to ensure they operate within the intention of the restrictions:

• While social gatherings of up to 100 are allowed outside of Auckland, Aucklanders are encouraged to behave as if carrying their 10-person limit and extra restrictions (as stated on the COVID-19 website).
• Outside of Auckland, tournament hosts must keep the number of participants to be within the 100-person gathering limit. (Currently Auckland gatherings are limited to 10).

Cancelled Basketball New Zealand competitions:

• The Secondary Schools National Championships. (Was scheduled 28 September to 3 October at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North).
• The U13 Regionals. (Was scheduled 7-10 October).
  • U13 Northern Regional Championships at Eventfinda Stadium, YMCA North Shore, AUT North Shore, hosted by Harbour Basketball.
  • U13 Central Regional Championships at Pettigrew Green Arena, Centennial Hall, Hastings Sports Centre, hosted by Basketball Hawke’s Bay.
  • U13 Southern Regional Championships, EA Networks Centre & Basketball Mid-Canterbury Stadium, hosted by Basketball Mid Canterbury

Still Scheduled:

• Aon U15 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Pulman Arena in Auckland. (Decision will be reviewed after the Government address expected 14 September)
• Aon U17 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Cowles Stadium and Bishopdale YMCA in Christchurch. (Decision will be reviewed after the Government address expected 14 September)
• Schick 3×3 Cup, ILT Stadium, Invercargill. Thursday November 12 to Saturday 14 November.

Postponed: Sal’s NBL (women’s league to be announced).

More info:

• If anyone is feeling unwell, they should seek appropriate medical advice if necessary – Healthline – 0800 611 116
• We are asking our community to make sure they are up to date with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 webpage and the NZ Government COVID-19 webpage.

The Secondary Schools National Basketball Championships (29 September – 3 October) and Under 13 Regionals (7 – 10 October) are still scheduled to take place.

Basketball New Zealand will update the basketball community once the Government announces the next Alert Level decision. Currently, Auckland is set to join the rest of New Zealand at Alert Level 2 on Sunday 30 August. This level will be in place nationwide for one week until Sunday 6 September, though Auckland will be limited to gatherings of 10 while the rest of New Zealand has a limit of 100.

The Government will address New Zealand with an update about the Alert Level before 6 September. If the Government decides to extend Alert Level 2 without an indication of a move to Alert Level 1, the Secondary Schools Nationals and Under 13s are likely to be cancelled. We hope to decide no later than 7 September (more likely before then), depending on the timing of the Government’s announcement.

Unfortunately postponing our age-group events this late in the year is not an option. There are no further dates available in 2020 that fit the requirements of the school calendar, which is hosting during school holidays and staying clear of exam times.

The health and safety of our community is the number one priority. It is clear that our national events cannot be played in Alert Level two (or higher) due to the requirement to keep gatherings to less the 100 people per event. Our national age-group events see well over 100 people attend.

The resounding feedback we have received is that people want to play and are hopeful the events will go ahead. We are also aware that this is a very unsettling time for many teams who are considering how they manage travel and accommodation bookings. We recommend you contact your suppliers and discuss the situation with them to better understand their cancellation policy – hopefully they will show a level of understanding and flexibility. Some schools may feel the need to withdraw due to these reasons. If you are considering withdrawing a team, please email Tournaments@nz.basketball.

The Under 15 and Under 17 National Championships are still scheduled for 24-26 October. We have more time before we make a call on these events.

Still scheduled:

The U13 Regionals, 7-10 October

• U13 Northern Regional Championships at Eventfinda Stadium, YMCA North Shore, AUT North Shore, hosted by Harbour Basketball.
• U13 Central Regional Championships at Pettigrew Green Arena, Centennial Hall, Hastings Sports Centre, hosted by Basketball Hawke’s Bay.
• U13 Southern Regional Championships, EA Networks Centre & Basketball Mid-Canterbury Stadium, hosted by Basketball Mid Canterbury

National Events

• The Secondary Schools National Championships. Currently schedule 28 September to 3 October at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North.
• Aon U15 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Pulman Arena in Auckland.
• Aon U17 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Cowles Stadium and Bishopdale YMCA in Christchurch.

Postponed:

• Schick 3×3 Cup, ILT Stadium, Invercargill (new date TBA).
• Sal’s NBL (women’s league) and D-League (TBA)

This afternoon at 3pm, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Cabinet’s decision that COVID-19 restrictions will continue at their current level until at least 11.59pm on Sunday night (Auckland at Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand at Alert Level 2).

Then, from 11:59pm on Sunday 30 August, Auckland is expected to join the rest of New Zealand at Alert Level Two, but with additional restrictions on gathering sizes including no more than 10 in Auckland, except for tangihanga and funerals which allow 50 people. Masks also become a requirement on public transport throughout New Zealand. (Full update on the Government COVID-19 website here).

Basketball New Zealand has been in discussions with our stakeholders, including our Associations, in regards to our remaining national events in 2020 (listed below). Further discussions are planned for tomorrow morning. We hope to communicate the basketball community with further updates by tomorrow afternoon.

Remaining BBNZ age-group events in 2020

The U13 regionals, 7-10 October:

• U13 Northern Regional Championships at Eventfinda Stadium, YMCA North Shore, AUT North Shore, hosted by Harbour Basketball.
• U13 Central Regional Championships at Pettigrew Green Arena, Centennial Hall, Hastings Sports Centre, hosted by Basketball Hawke’s Bay.
• U13 Southern Regional Championships, EA Networks Centre & Basketball Mid-Canterbury Stadium, hosted by Basketball Mid Canterbury

National Events:

• The Secondary Schools National Championships. Currently scheduled 28 September to 3 October at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North.
• Aon U15 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Pulman Arena in Auckland.
• Aon U17 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Cowles Stadium and Bishopdale YMCA in Christchurch.
• Schick 3×3 Cup, ILT Stadium, Invercargill (currently postponed to a date yet to be announced).

Applications open today for Sport NZ’s new fund – Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa – for community-based programmes and projects targeting those tamariki and rangatahi (young people aged 5 to 18) at most risk of missing out or being less active.

Tū Manawa replaces and improves on Sport NZ’s existing Kiwisport Regional Partnership Fund and now has double the funding available – $68 million over four years, of which half is from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package. Where Kiwisport only focused on organised sport, Tū Manawa will also fund play and active recreation. It also has a distinct assessment process for Kaupapa Māori organisations.

“We really want Tū Manawa to make difference for those missing out, and that means ensuring this funding is supporting programmes and projects operating in local communities, based on the needs of those communities,” says Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin.

“In the first year we have placed special emphasis on those whose physical activity levels have been impacted most by COVID-19, which we know from our research are girls and young women, disabled people, those in higher deprivation communities and a slightly higher age bracket of young women aged 19 to 24.”

To ensure it reaches these groups, Sport NZ is partnering with the county’s network of 14 Regional Sports Trusts to manage and distribute Tū Manawa, and has allocated funding to them based on both population and deprivation modelling.

The priority groups and funding modelling will be reviewed before 30 June 2021 to help inform the second year of investment.

Tū Manawa is available for both new and existing programmes and projects, and funding will be provided for up to 12 months.

Applications can be made through the Regional Sports Trusts. A list of these, together with funding criteria and application details, is available at sportnz.org.nz/tū_manawa

With Auckland currently in Alert 3 and the rest of New Zealand in Alert 2, Basketball New Zealand is awaiting the Government’s update before making further decisions about the following basketball events, which remain scheduled for 2020:

• The U13 regionals, 7-10 October:
  • U13 Northern Regional Championships at Eventfinda Stadium, YMCA North Shore, AUT North Shore, hosted by Harbour Basketball.
  • U13 Central Regional Championships at Pettigrew Green Arena, Centennial Hall, Hastings Sports Centre, hosted by Basketball Hawke’s Bay.
  • U13 Southern Regional Championships, EA Networks Centre & Basketball Mid-Canterbury Stadium, hosted by Basketball Mid Canterbury

• National Events:
  • The Secondary Schools National Championships. Currently schedule 28 September to 3 October at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North.
  • Aon U15 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Pulman Arena in Auckland.
  • Aon U17 Nationals. Currently scheduled for Saturday 24 October to Monday 26 October (Labour Weekend) at Cowles Stadium and Bishopdale YMCA in Christchurch.

Decisions | In the coming days, we will be seeking input from many of the General Managers of Associations throughout New Zealand and School Sport New Zealand. We are aware that Associations, Schools, teams, players and parents need time to consider options including flight bookings, accommodation and other aspects.

Alert levels can change our circumstances very quickly, so we are operating within a very fluid environment – please bear with us during this time. We are aiming to make a call on these events no later than one month before tip off from each event. If Alert Levels increase or remain by that deadline, it is likely we will be forced to either postpone or cancel the event.

For the national events, we need an alert level no higher than Alert Level 1 to host within Government requirements. Alert Level 2 means we cannot host a national event with more than 100 people – our national events have well over 100 people attending.

Currently we see the Government placing different regions under different alert levels. It is possible that an event could still be hosted in some areas, while other areas are excluded. While this is not ideal, it is an option we need to consider.

Keep training | It remains our intent to host these events if we can confidently meet the Government’s health and safety requirements. For this reason, we want to emphasise the importance to continue to train within the alert restrictions. Preparing to play is especially important for health and safety reasons, so that players continue preparing as best they can to lessen the risk of injury.

Next steps | Right now the Government has stated a continuation of Alert Level 3 in Auckland until 11.59 Wednesday 26 August. (It is expected that the Government will give an indication of next steps and review the Alert levels on Friday 21 August). We will look to update our community of any developments.

Schick 3×3 Cup 2020 Postponed

The NBL will be postponing the Schick 3×3 Cup to sometime in October or November.

The event was scheduled to tip-off 3 September, but given the current travel restrictions in place, plus a number of flights currently deactivated across the country, there is too much uncertainty to host this in less than three weeks’ time.

A number of alternative dates are available in October and November, which are being considered. The NBL is committed to holding the event during this time. A final decision on dates will be made once there is a clearer understanding of the ability for players to travel.

SPORT NZ Partner Update

As you will have heard, Government has announced:
• a continuation of Alert Level 3 in Auckland until 11.59 Wednesday August 26th
• a continuation of Alert Level 2 in the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand
• this will be reviewed on Friday August 21st

What this means:
• Travel into, out of, and through Auckland is heavily restricted
• You can travel if you are returning to your primary residence
• You can travel through Auckland for the purpose of getting home, if your home is on the other side. You should travel directly through the region and avoid stopping if at all possible
• The restrictions on flying into and out of Auckland are the same as driving in or out

Media release:
We have issued this media release that conveys our key messages to the people of Aotearoa New Zealand with respect to play, active recreation and sport. For those regions in Alert Level 3, the most important reminder is to stay home and stay safe to stop the spread. Keep physically active at home or if exercising outside, ensure this is done within your region and kept low risk.

Contact tracing:
There is new information available on our website related to contact tracing. The Ministry of Health has created a tracing app — NZ COVID Tracer. This app works by scanning a QR code on a poster at participating businesses. The app then keeps track of where someone has scanned so they know where they have been. Under Alert Level 2 and 3 every facility that is open must ensure that a copy of the QR code for the facility is displayed in a prominent place at or near the main entrances to the workplace. This requirement comes into force at 11:59am on 19 August 2020. Further information on the QR code and how to obtain one can be found here.

Wage subsidy scheme extension:
The wage subsidy extension helps businesses affected by COVID-19 and supports businesses and their staff to maintain an employment connection. It supports employers adversely affected by COVID-19, so that they can continue to pay their employees, and supports workers to ensure they continue to receive income. We will revert after the weekend with more information.

Recovery funding:
Please spread the word that the Community Resilience Fund Version 2 is still open to any organisation across the sector. Details here. The fund is open until 4 September 2020 and offers financial support to play, active recreation or sport organisations who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. We welcome applications from organisations that have not previously received funding along with those who might have received support in round 1. Key and material differences to the fund version two:
• Applicants do not need to be affiliated to Sport NZ national partners
• It covers operational costs that are critical to delivering activities and programmes

Useful links:
• The Unite Against COVID-19 website carries a wide range of useful information including current regional alert levels, detail on what each alert level means, how and when to get tested, and support for businesses.
• The Ministry of Health is advising the use of face masks. This advisory may be strengthened. We recommend familiarisation with appropriate use of masks.

Tonight, around 9:30pm, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced four positive cases of COVID-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine. These cases are all in South Auckland and in the same household.

The action the Government has taken is to move Auckland to Level 3 restrictions from 12 noon tomorrow (Wednesday 12 August). The restrictions will last three days until midnight Friday. The rest of the country outside of Auckland will move into Level 2. The level 2 restrictions are in place from midday tomorrow until midnight on Friday.

If you have questions about sports operations at these levels, please first refer to Sport New Zealand’s Alert guidance here: https://sportnz.org.nz/covid-19/alert-level-information/

The Government’s wider alert level information is available on the COVID-19 website here: https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19/restrictions/alert-system-overview/

The Government is also reminding New Zealanders of the importance of additional hygiene measures, including hand washing, cleaning surfaces, coughing or sneezing into your elbow, and staying home if you feel unwell.

If you haven’t already done so, it is recommended that you download and use the contact tracing app: https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/stay-healthy/keep-track-of-where-youve-been/

As mentioned in earlier COVID-19 messaging, Sport NZ have said some organisations in the sport sector did not have health and safety plans or business continuity plans in place earlier in the year. If you are still looking to improve your plans, you can find helpful templates on the Sport NZ website.

We will continue to update the basketball community with information as it comes to hand, as quickly as we can. This includes monitoring the situation and seeking advice from the likes of Sport New Zealand and the Ministry of Health in regards to upcoming Basketball New Zealand and NBL events.

All Basketball New Zealand COVID-19 updates can be found here: https://nz.basketball/bbnz-covid-19-updates/

Basketball New Zealand has committed to seeing a secondary schools national event this year.

The event will be held in Palmerston North at the beginning of school holidays, 29 September to 3 October, just after schools have completed their third-term events.

The major change will be the qualification process, which will be different from the norm. The ‘Premierships’ qualification tournaments have already been cancelled this year due to COVID-19 and to allow local basketball activities to run unimpeded. Instead, qualification for this 2020 event will be through regional or local competitions.

Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive, Iain Potter, says this was the best available solution, and allows schools to play and qualify without causing disruption to their local activities.

“COVID-19 created uncertainty as to whether the Nationals could be staged this year. We thought it might be possible to host an adapted event and worked closely with New Zealand School Sport around this qualification approach. It will be better for schools, parents and players – it means less time-pressure, less cost, and less interference for local sporting and academic activities. The bulk of feedback has been positive for this approach, with a strong desire for an event to happen.

“Attending a national event is a big deal for schools and the kids who get to play. The basketball community really gets in behind it and we are grateful an event can still proceed. This year might be different, but it will be a celebration of secondary schools basketball.”

The Basketball New Zealand schools tournaments page can be found here.

Welcome to Alert Level 1.

The Government decision to move to Alert Level 1 came earlier than expected. Sport NZ has posted a new Alert Level 1 table here, carrying the following advice with aspects that are specific to play, active recreation and sport:

• Under Alert Level 1 the disease is contained in New Zealand, but COVID-19 remains uncontrolled overseas.
• The main controls under Alert Level 1 are border restrictions and managed isolation or quarantine for people entering the country.
• Play, active recreation and sport under Alert Level 1 looks like much like it did pre-COVID-19 but with border restrictions.
• There are no restrictions on businesses and services (including hospitality), no restrictions on gathering, no requirements for physical distancing, and no requirements to keep records to enable contact tracing. You should still maintain QR codes however where possible, to allow people to log where they have been.
• While none of the public health requirements are mandatory – it is important to remain vigilant and continue to practice good hygiene to minimise the risk of community transmission.
• In Alert Level 1 we should be prepared to quickly move into higher alert levels if we need to.
• As mass gatherings limits are removed, large events such as sports games or tournaments are able to go ahead. Organisers are encouraged to adopt the COVID Code (details coming soon) and should be aware they may be asked to postpone or cancel gatherings under the circumstance that a significant outbreak has re-occurred, or if case numbers increase.

As a side note, Sport NZ say they have discovered, during higher alert levels, that some organisations in the play, active recreation and sport sector did not have health and safety plans or business continuity plans. This is an opportunity to review the requirements relevant to your operating environment and put one in place. You can find helpful templates on the Sport NZ website to help you on this journey.

The international 3×3.EXE PREMIER league, run out of Japan, has been cancelled for 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19.

The 2020 League would have consisted of 1196 games played across multiple conferences hosted in Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, New Zealand and Thailand.

Currently the 3×3.EXE PREMIER 2021 season is scheduled for May.

Sport New Zealand Covid-19 Sector Update

28 May 2020 – Please find below today’s Sector Update containing links to the new Alert Level 2 information.

As outlined earlier in the week, the number of those permitted in a single gathering will rise to 100 or fewer tomorrow (Friday) at midday.  This is good news for the play, active recreation and sport sector and gives most forms the ability to re-start their activities, albeit within a controlled setting.  The new guidelines allow for groups of 100 or fewer to come together without the need for physical distancing, but with contact tracing and public hygiene measures in place.  This number must include participants, spectators, officials and coaches.  However variations of this rule apply to allow for more than one gathering to take place and spectators to be treated differently, provided that groups are kept separated.

Key points from this Update are:

• If spectators are within 2m they are part of the 100
• If they are well side-lined (more than 2m) they can be counted separately, but need to follow physical distancing rules
• Planned spectators should be contact traced
• Groups should be kept sufficiently apart and phased to make sure they don’t come into contact

Read more at the links below.

• New alert level table
• New mass gatherings guidance
• New Frequently Asked Questions

Community Resilience Fund Update
Sport NZ’s Community Resilience Fund, currently being distributed via the 14 Regional Sport Trusts to their regions, is now in week three.  The fund is open to all local and regional organisations who are affiliated to current investment partners, as well as those that can seek endorsement via specified Maori endorsement partners.  To date, 808 applications have been received with $3.419m approved, resulting in 184 regional organisations and 588 clubs supported to date. $15m has been committed to the fund by Sport NZ to help regional and local organisations remain financially viable through the immediate period of disruption created by COVID-19.  We encourage you to keep promoting the fund through your networks.  More information including eligibility criteria can be found here.

Class 4 funding update
Alert Level 2 has seen the return of some funding sources, notably gaming and sports betting.  In Alert Level 2, guidelines allow all gaming machines to operate if screens are erected and physical distancing rules are observed.  Lotto venues have also reopened and the impact on profits during Alert Levels 3 and 4 have not been as bad as anticipated.  It is widely acknowledged that charitable and community organisations, including Class 4 operators and others that utilise gambling as a part of their fundraising, have been hit hard by lockdown.  As part of the COVID-19 response and longer-term recovery, DIA is considering how existing community funding mechanisms can more efficiently and sustainably work to support communities.  This includes community return expectations around gambling profits.
Sport New Zealand – Alert Level 2 Guidelines

Message to Coaches

Return to Play for Youth Sports
With the COVID restrictions slowly being reduced Basketball Coaches  throughout the country will be enthusiastic to get back  on the court and start working with teams.

However, it will be important to be mindful of progressing slowly and with caution.  Players will need to be slowly re-introduced to the rigors and training and playing.  The following recommendations should be followed:

1. Coaches will be itching to get back into training and working their players out and it is important to realise that trying to flog them to catch up for lost time is not the way to go.  Ease your players back into play using the recommended return to play/sport protocols provided.
2. Your annual/periodisation plans will also be out of sync and now is a great time to review those initial plans according to the competitions you have scheduled for the remainder of the year for your team/players.  Especially with the amount of time that your athletes can commit to training i.e. the shortening of the academic year and requirements of those at secondary school players.
3. Find out how your players are feeling outside of basketball.  How can you best support them and alleviate their anxieties and apprehensions with return to sport in the current Covid-19 environment.  Show empathy and flexibility to what they can commit to, as every player will have a different set of circumstances that they and their families are faced with.
4. REFLECTION: Take some time for reflection and review your coaching.  Consider what you could do differently given the restrictions and circumstances and be prepared for your next session.
5. Ensure you have your health and safety protocols sorted as part of that planning ensure you have planned to minimise/illuminate potential risks i.e. hand sanitiser, disinfectant, and wipes (for the basketball) and mouthguards (for contact scrimmages) as well as your basic first aid kit.

BBNZ would like to acknowledge the work done by Canterbury Regional Basketball Foundation, Mel Downer and Dr Stephen Bird for develop the Return to Sport Guidelines for Youth Sport which articulates the different stages for preparation of athletes over the next 5 weeks.
Return to Play – Guidelines Youth Sport.

Returning to Sport
In addition to these guidelines for basketball High Performance Sport New Zealand in collaboration with Sports Medicine New Zealand have also put together some health-related considerations for all New Zealanders when resuming sport or exercise in the post-COVID-19 period.

Sport New Zealand – Return to Play Information for Coaches
As we move closer to a return to community sport, coaches will play a critical role in inspiring, connecting and caring for young people as they reintegrate back into their community sporting experiences.

In the lead in to returning to train and play, Sport NZ with the assistance and support of HPSNZ and several NSOs have developed an initiative to recognise the valuable role coaches play and to support them as they reintegrate back into sport. We are starting this week with a special message to coaches from athletes across NZ which can be found here.

As part of this initiative, on June 3rd at 7.30pm, Sport New Zealand are running a return to play webinar for Kiwi coaches. The webinar is for any and all coaches in New Zealand, and it will cover key information to ensure the transition back to sport is a positive one for their athletes. For more information the webinar link can be found here.

We will also be developing a series of resources for coaches that will be available via the BiB website which can be found here.

Health and Safety Hazard Identification Form

Basketball New Zealand has developed a comprehensive Event Hazard Identification Form (template) to assist Associations in preparation for forthcoming Events and Competitions.

This form has been created by BBNZ in relation to the Ministry of Health (MOH), New Zealand Government and Sport New Zealand (SNZ) guidelines for returning to sport under COVID‑19 restrictions, but also identifies a full range of potential threats and hazards beyond the COVID environment.

The template is a starting point for pre-event discussions and consideration that will allow Event Organisers the opportunity to consider all potentialities.  The template has a number of examples provided as a starting point for discussion and planning.

BBNZ recommends that Associations use this template with all Venues and Contractors to ensure alignment of all Health and Safety requirements.

The Hazard Identification Form can be found at this link under ‘General’.

Aon U15 and U17 Nationals 2020 Update

As mentioned, BBNZ intends to offer the Aon U15 and U17 Nationals this year over Labour Weekend.  To help with your planning, we are able to confirm the following details:

Aon U15 Nationals

• Date:  Saturday, 24 October to Monday, 26 October (Labour Weekend)
• No. of Days:  3 days
• No. of Teams:  16 boys teams and 16 girls teams
• City:  Auckland
• Venue:  Pulman Arena (with a back up venue at Alan Brewster Recreation Centre)

Aon U17 Nationals

• Date:  Saturday, 24 October to Monday, 26 October (Labour Weekend)
• No. of Days:  3 days
• No. of Teams:  16 boys teams and 16 girls teams
  City:  Christchurch
• Venues:  Cowles Stadium and Bishopdale YMCA

BBNZ are working on the assumption that by the time we reach October the country is in Alert Level 1 or 0.  Please note that we are subject as always to Government rules and guidelines around COVID-19.

Further details regarding zone spots and any further modified regulations will be released next week.

Yesterday the Government announced a softening of restrictions to allow for up to 100 people to gather, effective from midday Friday (29/05/20).

This is good news as it will allow teams to train together and to play each other, when they are ready to do so.

The new 100 person limit on gatherings restrictions for facilities will require you to work with your venues to ensure activity is phased to enable contact tracing, physical distancing and gathering limit requirements to be adhered to.

Restrictions are still needed to control the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand and this will mean that larger events are still unable to take place.

All other Level 2 requirements remain and it is important to remember we are still in the ‘prepare to play’ phase until 4 June. Please ensure you work through the Level 2 requirements (BBNZ COVID-19 page) to prepare for a safe return to play.

Sport New Zealand will be revising online guidance documents for the sport and recreation sector in the next few days, you can check the latest resources on the Sport NZ website here.

With the changes to the basketball calendar due to COVID-19, Basketball New Zealand still intends to offer the following basketball tournaments in 2020:

• Secondary Schools National Championships – first week of the third term holidays (usual timing)
• U13 Regionals – second week of the third term holidays (as usual)
• U15 Aon Nationals – Labour Weekend
• U17 Aon Nationals – Labour Weekend

The venues, processes, number of planned tournament days and team numbers for each event remains under consideration.  Factors include COVID-19 restrictions, Association/schools demand, host and venue availability, referee and volunteer availability, funding etc.

We aim to confirm more details within the coming weeks, subject as always to Government rules and guidelines around COVID-19.

The concept of a school leavers tournament this year will not go ahead given the restrictions, demand for facilities, clash with community sport competitions, and other clashes like exams and other events.

After discussions with School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) and in line with other major sports, Basketball New Zealand has made the tough decision to cancel all basketball events for winter tournament week (beginning 31 August 2020):

• Junior Secondary Schools Premierships (Zone 1, 2, 3, 4)
• Secondary Schools Northern Cup
• Secondary Schools Central Cup
• Secondary Schools Southern Cup
• Secondary Schools ‘A’ North Island Premierships
• Secondary Schools ‘A’ South Island Premierships
• Secondary Schools ‘AA’ Premierships (Zone 1, 2, 3, 4)

With the disruption to the 2020 sporting calendar, freeing up winter tournament week will provide a much-needed opportunity for community level sport to fit a truncated winter season of basketball into the third term. Many of the venues that would normally be utilised for Winter Tournament Week will also be required for community sport.

The 2020 3×3 National Championships, that were postponed from March, have also been cancelled.

Basketball New Zealand still hopes to hold the New Zealand Secondary Schools National Championships in the first week of the October holidays. This will mean the number of teams, the structure of the event and qualifying processes may need changing. Possible changes will be considered in discussion with SSNZ, as well as being subject to Government COVID-19 restrictions. This should become clearer as the Government announces further possible restrictions under the Alert Level system.

A Wage Subsidy Extension payment will be available to support employers, including sole traders, who are still significantly impacted by COVID-19 after the Wage Subsidy ends.

The Wage Subsidy Extension will be available from 10 June 2020 until 1 September 2020.

Below are some key points.  More information about this payment and how to apply will be available before 10 June.

• You must have had, or expect to have, a revenue loss of at least 50% for the 30 days before you apply, compared to the closest period last year.
• It will cover eight weeks per employee from the date you submit your application.
• It will be paid to you as a lump sum at the same weekly rate as the Wage Subsidy.
• You’ll need to agree to certain obligations, such as to:
  • pass the subsidy on to your employees
  • retain your employees for the duration of the subsidy
  • do your best to pay your employees at least 80% of their normal pay
  • take active steps to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on your business.

More on the WINZ schedule here.

Sport New Zealand has confirmed that community sports are not allowed gatherings over 10 people while in Level 2, which comes into effect today, Thursday 14 May.

During Level 2, multiple groups (bubbles) of up to 10 people can operate in larger facilities and open spaces as long as they maintain the two-metre physical distancing requirement between groups.

Essentially, for community sport, Level 2 is a ‘Prepare to Play’ phase. Anyone offering basketball in their communities must prepare and put robust health and safety measures in place.  This includes contact tracing, limiting bubbles to 10 people, sanitation processes and physical distancing.

For Associations and competition organisers, there is much to do in this ‘Prepare to Play’ phase. The following information covers key guidance to help ensure a safe and compliant resumption of competition, including:

• When community basketball might return
• Facilities
• Contact tracing
• Cleaning and hygiene
• Gatherings and spectators
• Physical distancing
• Player physical preparation

When community basketball might return

All forms of competition and tournament basketball remain postponed during this ‘Prepare to Play’ period from 14 May – 4 June. This time enables  Associations and clubs time to ensure all appropriate measures are in place before returning to competition.

Training is permitted during this ‘Prepare to Play’ period if strict hygiene measures, physical distancing guidelines and a maximum of 10 people per group are followed​.

Sport NZ are indicating a possible return to competition from 30 May (depending on the 25 May government review of the number of people allowed in gatherings). To allow for more time and account for the uncertainty around this date, Basketball New Zealand recommends that competitive basketball does not resume before Friday 4 June. Please note that this is subject to change based on government direction and advice.

Pending the Government decision on 25 May, it’s possible that Queen’s Birthday weekend may be used for pre-season games subject to the strict public health requirements detailed in this update. Modified game formats are recommended (more information to come).

Competition should only resume when all the required health and safety measures have been put in place and tested. Players and teams should also have had the opportunity to physically prepare for a return to play, with injury prevention training noted as a priority.

Facilities (indoor and outdoor)

Please note that the responsibility to meet health and safety and contact tracing obligations at facilities sits with the hirer/user.

• Facilities must have a written plan for safe operation in place and those with employees must have a WorkSafe plan in place.
• Facilities must provide water, soap and towels/drier for participants to wash and dry their hands, or hand sanitiser (containing at least 70% alcohol).
• Check with Facilities, they may also have their own systems in place for contact tracing and spectator rules.
• Venue entry and exit protocols need to be agreed with facility operators.

Please refer to the BBNZ Health and Safety Guidelines for more details.

Contact Tracing

The impending return to basketball requires all Associations to have their own robust and sustainable Contact Tracing system in place. The responsibility for contract tracing belongs to Associations as users (hiring a venue).

Contact tracing will apply to every individual that is at a venue at any one time (indoor and outdoor). This includes players, officials, coaches, managers, spectators, association/competition staff and venue staff. We are recommending all Associations use The Huddle as a contact tracing tool. This will ensure all your data is located in a secure and central location online, and enhances your ability to maintain an accurate database of your members. We are also recommending The Huddle because:

• Pre-registration will ensure you know exactly who should be entering the venue, adhering to gathering thresholds.
• Pre-registration speeds up venue entry process and the likelihood of delays and/or physical distancing issues.
• Easily identify close contacts.
• Limit what requires sanitisation (i.e. pens).
• Digital record means data is collected and secure.
• Builds and maintain a comprehensive accurate database of your members.

The BBNZ Contract Tracing Guidelines can be found here.

Cleaning and Hygiene

• All participants and spectators must follow public health hygiene measures, including washing and drying hands before and after any activity. Hand washing facilities must be available.
• Exercise caution with common touch points (e.g. gates or doors) and wash or sanitise your hands after touching these surfaces. Also ensure these surfaces are sanitised regularly.
• Minimise the sharing of equipment, in particular balls.
• Equipment including balls must be cleaned, disinfected and dried after each training or game.

Please refer to the BBNZ Health and Safety Guidelines for more details.

Gatherings and Spectators

• The maximum number of people in one gathering is 10. Each group must maintain a minimum of two metres physical distance from other groups.
• A gathering includes players, coaches, officials, support staff and spectators.
• The total number of people in one venue, at any one time, must be limited to a maximum of 100 people (either indoors or outdoors).
• The contact tracing register for all participants and spectators must be in place and able to be accessed quickly.
• We recommend that spectators are not allowed venue entry under Level 2. If you do decide to allow entry, a limit should be put in place and agreed with your host venue. Guardians of children should be allowed, but also accounted for within the 100 person limit.

Physical Distancing

• People may participate in team sport and physical activity, including where physical distance cannot be maintained as long as no more than a total of 10 people are involved.
• Multiple groups of up to 10 people can operate in larger facilities and open spaces as long as they maintain the two-metre physical distancing requirement between groups.
• Participants should maintain physical distancing of one metre or more where contact tracing measures are in place when not participating in the sport or activity.
• People should remain at least two metres apart from people they don’t know or where there is no contract tracing in place. In facilities with contact tracing measures in place, a minimum of one metre physical distancing is recommended.

Workshops and meetings

Workshops and meetings can be held subject to the following conditions:

• Cleaning and hygiene guidelines.
• Contact tracing.
• Attendees are all seated at least one metre apart.
• The limit of no more than 100 people in a facility is maintained.

Preparing players for a return to play – injury prevention training

Following an extended period without team trainings and contact sport, a period of physical preparation and injury prevention training is critical to help ensure a safe return to play minimising the potential of injuries

Resources to help with injury prevention training and athlete strength and conditioning can be found here.

Sport New Zealand advice for all sports, including level 2 guidance, can be found on their webpage here.

This evening Sport New Zealand issued the following media release clarifying that community sports are not allowed gatherings over 10 people while in Level 2, which comes into effect this Thursday Thursday.

Essentially, for community sport, Level 2 is a ‘Get Ready’ phase followed by a ‘Prepare to Play’ phase.

Under the ‘Get Ready’ phase, anyone offering basketball in their communities must prepare and put robust health and safety measures in place. This includes contact tracing, limiting bubbles to 10 people and sanitation processes – precautions like hand-washing is still essential.

The ‘Prepare to Play’ phase means players and sports providers can start training in bubbles of ten people or less, but only within a controlled environment with the required health and safety measures in place.

Sport NZ indicate, all going well, that the bubble restrictions may be loosened around Queen’s Birthday Weekend, so competition could possibly resume from 30 May. We should assume this will still be under controlled measures like contact tracing and sanitation requirements.

Associations may also need more time to book facilities, communicate with teams and players, administer leagues, meet with funders and many other tasks before they can resume competition, some competitions may require a later start than 30 May.

The ‘Prepare to Play’ period also gives players time to return to training, before the heightened pressure of competitive play. Injury prevention is important and we will be posting more guidance from ACC in the coming days, along with other basketball-specific guidance that may be of use to Associations in the ‘Get Ready’ phase.

The updated Sport NZ guidance for under Level 2 can be found here.

SPORT NEW ZEALAND MEDIA RELEASE | Tuesday 12 May

Updated guidance on community sport at Alert Level 2

Following yesterday’s announcement on the transition to Alert Level 2, Sport NZ can confirm that the 10 person gathering limit does apply to all community sport.

“We have worked closely with major winter codes around how and when they are best able to get their seasons underway, and what has come through clearly from those discussions is the importance of having an initial phase of preparation before play can commence,” says Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin.

“We anticipate it being possible for competitions to be able to commence from around 30 May, subject to New Zealand’s continued containment of COVID-19 and the advice of the Director-General of Health.  Some sports may choose to take longer to start competitions depending on their specific circumstances.”

For many sports, this is now in a ‘get ready’ phase where they will put in place what is needed to commence safely. As training numbers can increase sports will then enter a ‘prepare to play’ phase to get athletes ready to compete.

Some sports may be able to return sooner. From Thursday sports can train and play subject to the combined number of players, coaches and/or officials not exceeding 10 and appropriate physical distancing guidelines being observed.

“Where this is possible, we are encouraging sports and teams to take time to look at how they can operate effectively within the 10 person limit and adhere to public guidelines around hygiene, contract tracing, physical distancing and gatherings,” says Peter Miskimmin.

“It’s important everyone is patient as this will help to keep New Zealanders safe. We don’t want sport to be the reason we go backwards in alert levels.”

Professional sports teams are not covered by this guidance. They are being treated in line with guidance on workplaces, and have indicated that their competitions will commence in June.

Updated Level 2 Guidelines for Physical Activity are available at sportnz.org.nz.

This afternoon Sport New Zealand released up-to-date guidance around sport operating under Level 2, including a Level 2 sport and recreation table of information which we are considering.

Sport New Zealand have stated that it is essential to get safety protocols in place before sport resumes, and ensure that everyone is on the same page:

“The key message we would like to stress at this time is one of taking a considered and measured approach to the restart of your operations, in consultation with your national agency. Moving too quickly sends a message to people and communities that normal functions are resumed.

“This is not the case as organisations and facilities will need to carefully manage hygiene risk, training and play environments may need to be modified, physical distancing considerations will remain and travel is still impacted.” – Sport New Zealand.

In line with this, we will publish more information to our community (likely middle of next week) on a ‘Prepare to Play’ phase, with guidance on what must be done by basketball organisations to ensure a safer return to community basketball. We plan to work with Sport NZ on this guidance.

Before we return to play, our community must ensure all the required safety protocols are put in place, and everyone is aware what needs to be done when attending and participating in any basketball activity.

Cabinet meet to decide the timing of the move to Alert Level 2 next Monday, 11 May.

– Basketball New Zealand.

Sport New Zealand has announced a relief package for sport and recreation organisations, which will be accessible to some basketball Associations and clubs:

• Local clubs/associations (with individual members) can apply for up to $1,000.
• Regional organisations (with member organisations) can apply for up to $40,000.

The Resilience Fund is specifically to help support organisations that are facing financial hardship due to the impact of COVID-19. It Is not for the purpose of creating sporting opportunities or events.

To apply, organisations must submit an application to their Regional Sports Trust – applications open at 10am on 11 May. The application must include a budget for the current financial year.

We recommend Associations that are considering applying for this package to:

• Read the full details, inlcuding the FAQs and media release outlined below, and double check the Sport NZ website.
• Prepare the budget in the coming days so it is avaiable when you are accessing your RSTs application process on Monday (11 May).
• Should Associations wish to discuss this further with someone at Basketball New Zealand, email matthew@nz.basketball in the first instance.

SPORT NZ MEDIA RELEASE

Sport NZ announces further $25 million short-term relief package

Primary focus on clubs and regional organisations

Sport NZ has created a $25 million package to provide further short-term relief for organisations at all levels of sport and active recreation. The funds have been made available through savings achieved from the reprioritisation of Sport NZ’s work programme in the wake of COVID-19, as well as the drawing down on cash reserves.

Today’s announcement follows an initial package of support for Sport NZ and High Performance Sport NZ partners announced in early April. This provided financial certainty for National Sport and Recreation Organisations, Regional Sport Trusts others, with funding commitments totalling $70 million per annum. Partners were provided with flexibility on how these funds could be used to reflect the challenging circumstances resulting from COVID-19 through until 30 June 2021.

The second tranche of support announced today has a focus on providing relief for struggling local and regional sport and recreation organisations. This relief will be provided via a $15m Community Resilience Fund.

“Play, active recreation and sport have a key role in maintaining individual health and wellbeing, bringing our communities together and keeping these communities strong,” says Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin.

“It is vital that organisations at all levels of our sector remain viable and are there when play, active recreation and sport can fully resume, and we believe we have structured this relief package in a way that will maximise its benefit at all levels of the sector for the greatest possible good.”

“Clubs and regional organisations are the heartbeat of our sector but have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19, particularly through the loss of Class 4 gaming revenue and membership fees and they need support now more than ever,” says Peter Miskimmin.

The Sport NZ Community Resilience Fund opens on Monday 11 May and will be administered through New Zealand’s 14 regional sports trusts due to the strength of their networks deep into their local sport and recreation communities. Eligible organisations can apply for a maximum of $1,000 for clubs and $40,000 for regional bodies.

Also included in Sport NZ’s $25 million relief package are:

• A partner support fund ($6 million) to help Sport NZ and HPSNZ investment partners maintain critical roles and business functions which are at risk due to COVID-19
• An exceptional system support fund ($1 million) to protect key national organisations who are not normal recipients of Sport NZ investment
• A physical activity fund ($3 million) to promote play, active recreation and sport opportunities to those who most need it (e.g. people who are less active, disabled or live in high deprivation areas)

Further details on these three funds will be announced over the coming weeks.

Sport NZ also continues to provide expert business capability support to its partners in areas such as finance, human resources and technology, as well as providing free employee wellbeing services and support in accessing the Government’s COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme.

More information on new $25 million short-term relief package and Sport NZ’s wider response to COVID-19 is available at sportnz.org.nz.

Sport NZ Relief Fund webpage

FAQs Community Resilience Fund – Sport NZ

Factsheet – Community Resilience Fund – Sport NZ

Last week we provided Alert Level 3 information and some anticipated timelines to the release of further information on Alert Level 2 for the sport and recreation sector from Sport New Zealand. Late on Friday Sport NZ provided an update on this. Further information on Alert Level 2 is now not expected until Friday 8 May at the earliest.

Sport New Zealand are advocating on behalf of the sector with several government entities and are guided by lead agencies and the Prime Minister’s office.

Sport NZ have directed National Sports Organisations to not develop their own guidelines until Sport NZ have released guidance, to help ensure that when official government guidelines are released they are consistent across our sector. Whilst this delay is challenging for us to prepare for a potential move to Level 2, we acknowledge the importance of following government direction for clear and consistent guidelines.

Current key dates are as follows (please note these may be subject to change):
• Friday 8 May – Alert Level 2 Guidelines from Sport New Zealand (TBC)
• Monday 11 May – Government announcement on Alert Level review
• Thursday 14 May- Government Budget Day

Following the Government Budget announcement we anticipate more information on any further support for the sport and recreation sector to be released in the week commencing Monday 18 May.
Below we have provided further information on;
• Statement from Sport New Zealand (released late Friday)
• Alert Levels existing guidelines (from Sport NZ)
• Contact tracing (use of SportsTG)

COVID-19 UPDATE: Alert 3

Sport New Zealand released guidelines for sport and recreation activity for Alert Level 3 on Friday.

Due to basketball being classified as a ‘contact sport’ with the requirement for physical distancing at Level 3, fundamentally Level 3 has the same restrictions for basketball as there was in Level 4. Namely, people should maintain their bubbles and contact activities are not permitted. Basketball will be restricted to individual play at home or within household bubbles.

• Sport NZ
  A new table is available here containing the latest Government position on physical activity.
• Sport NZ has also published Frequently Asked Questionsthat build on the most common scenarios and will be useful to public interpretation.

The Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) Board have met to consider, among other things, recommendations for the remaining tournaments scheduled in 2020. Associations throughout the country, as well as players, coaches and families, will be looking for some clarity around tournaments, to help planning and budgeting.

At this stage, due to the Government’s necessary COVID-19 measures that are helping us fight the virus, there will not be any national age group events held during the next four months, until the end of July.

It is difficult to provide certainty around what events will be worked into the calendar. Some events will be cancelled. However, where possible, BBNZ is postponing events and considering options including modifying events, reducing attendance, staging regional versions and shifting dates.

CANCELLATIONS

The following 2020 tournaments cancelled:

• Under 19 Nationals (was scheduled for 30 May to 2 June in Dunedin)
• Under 23 Nationals (was scheduled for 12-15 August in Napier)
• Tertiary Nationals (was scheduled for 18-20 September in Auckland)

BBNZ is considering the possibility of a tournament to cater for school leavers/young adults at a date yet to be decided.

CURRENTLY POSTPONED

The following 2020 tournaments are postponed:

• Under 17 Nationals (was scheduled for 8-11 July in Nelson).
• Under 15 Nationals (was scheduled for 15-18 July in Auckland)

BBNZ is considering when these events could be held this year, along with modified formats and qualification criteria. These decisions will depend on Government restrictions and advice from the Ministry of Health and Sport New Zealand, post the July/August period.

STILL SCHEDULED

The Secondary Schools National Premierships (29 August – 5 September) and Championships (28 September – 3 October) remain scheduled as is.

These events are part of the School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) sanctioned calendar, which is currently suspended. BBNZ will continue discussions with SSNZ and consider what is possible, but qualification processes, formats and attendance numbers may have to be adjusted to fit the realities of this COVID-19 environment.

The U13 regionals are still scheduled for 7-10 October, but could be moved if required to assist staging of other postponed events.

BBNZ understands that Associations and teams need time to prepare and adapt to any changes in dates and venues. We hope to provide as much notice as possible.

It is understood that some Associations may not be able to participate in any regional or national events this year. That’s understood and acceptable given the circumstances. We are lucky that this year coincides with the change in age-definition, so most players get two chances at their age grade. Right now, our priority is that we all work through this crisis as safely as possible and bounce back strongly as soon as possible.

We thank you for your understanding. We wish you well at this difficult time and hope you stay safe as we all do what is expected of us by the Government, and do our part to help protect our communities.

In this update:

• Message to Associations
• Wage Subsidy and Leave payments
• Sports TG update
• BBNZ Sport Tutor
• HP Content
• AGM
• Awards
• Useful links

Dear BBNZ Associations,

Today we are all preparing for what we are required to do under the Government’s Alert 4 lockdown, beginning midnight on Wednesday.

Basketball New Zealand will be operating as best we can during this time, with the hope of getting through the next few months and planning towards recovery later in the year. In the meantime, we will be looking to work remotely and online.

We know you are currently facing some tough challenges, and we are still here for you to contact. Matthew and the rest of the BBNZ team is still available to take enquiries, calls and emails.

As for the game, there are opportunities for us to embrace the pick-up nature of basketball with those we are self-isolating with, or by ourselves. In the coming weeks we will push out online-content about basketball training and skill sessions, pieces looking at our history and our future, and education for administrators, coaches and referees. We must adapt and look for creative solutions in the next few months. Below you will see Sport TG have already started offering webinars in a similar vein.

Stay strong and safe, as we all do what is necessary to overcome COVID-19.

Tū Kaha,

Basketball New Zealand.

WAGE SUBSIDY AND LEAVE PAYMENTS

We know that some Associations have already had some success in applying for the Government subsidy and leave payments.

If your Association meets the criteria, you can apply for wage subsidies and/or leave payments by following the links below. We encourage you to read through this information promptly and apply if your Association can meet the criteria.

You can read more on the Wage Subsidy and Leave Support Payment Scheme through Work and Income’s website, see here. To apply online, follow and fill out the following forms:

• Employer application
• Self Employed/Contractor

SportsTG UPDATE

SportsTG do not anticipate any disruption to their services and will continue to keep us updated.

Despite the ongoing adversity, now is an opportune time to utilise the downtime to complete training, upskilling and/or planning in regards to everything technology related.

This is a good time to ensure your membership database is in order. A number of people have already requested a full breakdown of members that have entered their facility.

Daniel Dawick will be circulating additional information in the following weeks which will include:

• Future webinar dates (basketball-specific)
• Follow-ups from the recent National Roadshow (presentations)
• National Technology Survey (to allow us to better understand your needs and current situation) – how can we help
• A dedicated support section on the BBNZ website – links to information, handy tips and training resources

SportsTG will commence a lunch and learn webinar series starting today, 24 March – more info here.

For more information on any of the above please contact Daniel Dawick.

BBNZ SPORT TUTOR

The BBNZ online Learning Management System will still utilised during this time. Soon we will launch our first BBNZ created e-learning modules. These modules will form part of the theory component for our Kiwi Hoops Introductory Coach Course. Any aspiring coach (or parent) will be able to complete much of the course online. More on this soon!

HP CONTENT

Our High-Performance team are now looking at ways to provide some online training and development, similar to what is used in our national programme. This will be available for everyone to use and push out to their communities.

AGM

The AGM that was scheduled for 9 May has been postponed. Our constitution requires that an AGM be held once in each calendar year, giving us plenty of flexibility to push the date out. Our thinking is the AGM will be held later in the year, at a more meaningful and forward-looking time, instead of a bare-minimum tick-box exercise via technology. We will update you as we know more.

AWARDS

In line with the AGM postponement, the Basketball New Zealand Awards that was scheduled for 8 May is also postponed to a date that is yet to be decided.

MORE USEFUL LINKS:

• NZ Government COVID-19 webpage
• Moh COVID-19 webpage
• BBNZ updates page

The Sal’s NBL Women’s Board for the national women’s competition is considering a modified competition that could potentially start in May, or later. The season was originally due to start on April 29.

The season-opening tournament in Dunedin planned for April 30 through to May 2 has been cancelled for the Sal’s NBL Women and the D-League.

The Sal’s NBL Women’s Board is now looking at a modified competition for the Sal’s NBL women’s competition and the D-League.

The decision has been made with the health and well-being of players, team officials, staff and the wider community as the League’s primary focus, along with the health and sustainability of all teams going forward.

It is the Board’s view that a modified competition in 2020 is possible, subject to any changes in regulations being advised by the Government and Ministry of Health.

“This decision takes into account the livelihoods of our people. We have many people, including our players, who derive an income through participating or working in NBL, this is their occupation and we are very mindful of that,” said Sal’s NBL General Manager, Justin Nelson.

“We are dealing with an unprecedented moment in our lives and while it comes with a level of uncertainty, the NBL Women’s Board is working diligently to ensure the health and sustainability of the teams, the integrity of the competition and the well-being of players, coaches and employees is at the forefront of every decision.

“We are currently working on a modified competition, our aim is to start in May, but we will provide a further update by April 3 and go from there,” Nelson added.

Further updates on the Women’s D-League will also be made by April 3.

The Sal’s NBL Men’s 2020 season has been postponed.

The League is now considering the feasibility of a modified competition that could potentially start in either late May or June.

The decision has been made with the health and well-being of players, team officials, staff and the wider community as the League’s primary focus, along with the health and sustainability of all teams going forward.

The League is currently working on a modified competition with broadcast partners Sky Sport, all eight NBL men’s teams and key stakeholders.

It is the League’s view that a modified 2020 competition could only commence, at the earliest, in May or June. If circumstances change, including Government or Ministry of Health advice or regulations, the NBL Men’s Board will continue to assess its options.

“This decision takes into account the livelihoods of our people. We have a couple of hundred people, including our players, who derive an income through participating or working in the NBL, this is their occupation and we are very mindful of that,” said Sal’s NBL General Manager, Justin Nelson.

“We are dealing with an unprecedented moment in our lives and while it comes with a level of uncertainty, the NBL Men’s Board is working diligently to ensure the health and sustainability of the teams, the integrity of the competition and the well-being of players, coaches and employees is at the forefront of every decision.

“It is unrealistic in the current climate to commence the season, so in conjunction with Sky Sport, Sal’s and our valued partners, and all teams, we are drawing a line under our season as it stood but we will continue to consider the feasibility of modifying the competition and commencing later dependent on how things play out. We believe this provides us time and hopefully allows us to modify, adapt and move forward,” Nelson added.

The NBL Men’s Board has decided to cancel the NBL Pre-Season Slam scheduled for April 4/5.

A decision on the 3X3 National Cup scheduled for late May at ILT Stadium Southland will be made at a later date.

The Sal’s NBL Women’s Board will issue a statement at 12 noon today, Friday March 20.

This afternoon Health Minister Hon Dr David Clark stated that all indoor gatherings of 100 people or more must be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In line with this directive, Basketball New Zealand is recommending to all its 36 regional basketball associations that community basketball (leagues and competitions) be suspended until further notice. Basketball New Zealand has also suspended the Final of the 3×3 Quest Tour and the 3×3 Tertiary Championships.

Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive Iain Potter says the limit of 100 people and the emphasis on social distancing means it is now time to shut the doors on organised community basketball, for now at least. He adds the suspension will have serious financial consequences for many basketball associations, but the community understands why this is necessary and will back the decision.

“We understand and thoroughly support the Government’s decision. It’s clearly a fast-moving situation. It’s important we all contribute and play our part to get through this together.

“This is a worrying time for many people and businesses, including sport administrators. Many of our associations have employees and will be feeling a great deal of uncertainty. We will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds and look to see how we can support our Associations as best we can. We’ll also reach out to funders in the hope that they will continue to be supportive of our members through this difficult time.

“The wonderful thing about basketball is you can still play the game by yourself. This won’t stop the joy of the game, it just might be a little less formal for now. You watch, driveway basketball is going to be bigger than it ever has been” says Mr Potter.

Basketball New Zealand is currently reviewing all activities planned from now until July. Further information about the Sal’s NBL (men’s and women’s leagues) will be released in near future.

Currently international basketball for the Tall Blacks, Tall Ferns and junior representative teams are suspended. Basketball New Zealand has previously suspended or cancelled a number of events including BBNZ age-group camps, 3×3 Secondary Schools Nationals, and BBNZ coaching and refereeing clinics.

More information:

• Government website ‘Unite Against COVID-19’
• Read previous Basketball New Zealand updates around basketball and COVID-19 here.

MEDIA RELEASE ON COMMUNITY BASKETBALL

With many national sporting organisations cancelling their community sport activities in the regions (including cricket, rugby, netball, league and football) Basketball New Zealand put out this media release, outlining how we are dealing with basketball within the evolving COVID-19 situation. This maybe helpful to Associations when asked about their operations.

We are continuing to take guidance from the Government, Ministry of Health and Sport NZ.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT PACKAGE – EMPLOYER COVID-19 WAGE SUBSIDY AND LEAVE PAYMENTS

Yesterday the Government announced a $12.1 billion COVID-19 support package for New Zealand businesses. You can read more on the announcement with further information here.

If your Association meets the criteria you can apply for wage subsidies and/or leave payments by following the links below. We encourage you to read through this information promptly and apply if your Association can meet the criteria.

Over $5 billion has been made available for wage subsidies and the COVID-19 leave payment scheme will also provide support (through employers/to sole traders and the self-employed) for those people unable to work because they are in self-isolation, are sick with COVID-19 or caring for dependents who are in either of these situations.

We note there will be more to come, with further work on support to be announced in the coming days and weeks.

Need more information? Where to apply?

You can read more on the Wage Subsidy and Leave Support Payment Scheme through Work and Income’s website, see here. To apply online, follow and fill out the following forms:

• Employer application
• Self Employed/Contractor

UNDER 15 APRIL SELECTION CAMP

The April U15 National Selection camp has been postponed. An email has been sent to all triallists outlining the next steps.

NATIONAL COACHING CLINICS

The National Coaching Clinic series have been postponed. Host Associations have been advised directly. Those clinics postpones are:

• Auckland: Saturday 25 April
• Tauranga: Sunday 26 April
• Wellington: Monday 27 April
• Christchurch: Tuesday 28 April

As a result of this disruption, the high-performance team have been discussing innovative ways to support coaches during this time. They are working on a number of new and exciting initiatives to keep the community coaches engaged over the coming weeks and months including remote development opportunities for coaches, as well as the re-scheduling of the National Coaches Clinic series.

ASSOCIATIONS, PLEASE CONTINUE TO PUSH HYGIENE ADVICE TO YOUR COMMUNITY

Any Associations that are continuing to run basketball within their regions, we’re asking everyone including referees, officials and players to preach the hygiene message. We are working with on guidance to help, which we hope to provide tomorrow. For now though, remember:

• Wash your hands
• If you don’t need to travel overseas, then don’t. Enjoy your own back yard for a time.
• If you’re sick, stay home
• If you sneeze, do it into your elbow
• Stop handshakes, hugs, and hongi
• Please be mindful of the older citizens in your life. Check in on them, but if you’re sick, keep your distance
• Anyone arriving from overseas must follow the self-isolation process
• Do what is best for you and your communities to keep them safe and healthy.

Protecting people’s health is our priority, while also operating within this situation as best we can. We will take actions to respond to the changing situation as expected by the government.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH INFORMATION:

We are asking our community to make sure they are up to date with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 webpage, particularly the health advice for the general public section.

Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) is dealing with events on a case-by-case basis, as a number of other national sport organisations suspend community sport.

To date, BBNZ has cancelled or suspended a number of national events and travel plans for teams, while the COVID-19 situation continues to unfold. The 3×3 National Secondary Schools event has been suspended as have a number of junior age-grade camps, as well as suspending all their national teams’ activities in cooperation with FIBA.

During the Prime Minister’s press conference on Monday (16 March), it was made clear that gatherings of 500 or more were to be cancelled. The Prime Minister also stated that further prescriptive guidance around public gatherings would be issued, most likely this week. Sport New Zealand also reinforced in a communication to sports today, that there is no necessity to cancel events below 500 people, however guidelines for smaller gatherings are expected to be available shortly.

Basketball New Zealand is awaiting this guidance, while also closely monitoring the expert advice from the Ministry of Health, the Government and talking with other advisors such as Sport New Zealand about the COVID-19 situation that is unfolding.

“With the situation constantly evolving, we are monitoring the advice from experts every hour. Currently we are not asking our Associations to cease community basketball, although it remains their choice.

“The Government’s prescriptive guidance on mass gatherings and events should be released any day now, which will help inform organisations that run community-based activities.

“We have cancelled some projects that have larger gatherings, but we are not at the point where we expect smaller localised basketball to be suspended. There is always the possibility we will reach that point and we are prepared to act if required,” says Mr Potter.

Basketball New Zealand has been sending out MoH hygiene advice and recommended practices to its community regularly. Mr Potter says BBNZ is also taking into account that many community facilities and organisations are still open, like schools, clubs and bars.

“Our Associations are running small community competitions, these do not attract large crowds, so the continuation of community basketball is well within current Government expectations,” says Potter.

“The concern for many is to do the wrong thing and allow the virus to spread. We want to reassure people that Basketball New Zealand is taking this situation very seriously. For example, BBNZ required self-isolation of all overseas NBL players, which was put in place 24 hours before the Government’s requirement – so we are trying our best to be proactive while also being practical.

“The discussion of suspending community sport events is not one we are taking likely. Of course, the health and wellbeing of our community is our priority, while also operating in this environment as best we can, and within the expert guidance of higher authorities like the Government and Ministry of Health,” says Mr Potter.

BBNZ UPDATE 8

Please find changes to more events below.

Our focus continues to be the safety and wellbeing of our athletes, staff and community. We are actively following advice issued by the New Zealand Government.

UNDER 14 CAMP

Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the BBNZ Under 14 Camp that was set to take place at Tui Ridge in Rotorua (16-19 April) has been cancelled for 2020. The associated tour to Melbourne will not proceed also.

A full refund of your camp fee will be made. An email has been sent to participants’ contacts outlining the process for this.

JUNIOR TALL BLACKS – Albert Schweitzer Tournament

We have been advised that the Albert Schweitzer Tournament has been cancelled.

Of course we are disappointed that our team will not be able to participate in the prestigious tournament, but we support this decision. It is also in alignment with FIBA’s decision to suspend all its competitions.

UNDER 17 WORLD CUP – BOYS

As reported last week, FIBA took the decision to cancel the FIBA U16 Asian Championships due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, FIBA decided that the top four Asian teams to qualify for the U17 World Championships from the Asian region would be based on the highest ranked countries according to the FIBA Youth Rankings. After the final calculations New Zealand and Japan (boys) were tied on equal points as the fourth best team. On Friday 13 March, FIBA suspended all FIBA competitions.

Once FIBA operation resume, BBNZ will discuss with FIBA how that fourth best-placed Asian team qualifies to attend the U17 World Championships. When we have that information, BBNZ will communicate the next step. Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation, we are yet to have a timeline in place for this decision.

UPDATE ON SECONDARY SCHOOLS 3X3 CHAMPS

Following yesterday’s announcement from the Government that gatherings and events of over 500 people should be cancelled, the board of School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) confirmed that all events on their national calendar are suspended. This means the 2020 Secondary Schools 3X3 Champs will not go ahead on 1-3 April.

The possibility of rescheduling this event in 2020 will be discussed with SSNZ at a later date

We understand that schools may have travel and accommodation bookings for these tournament dates, and payments may have been made with the possibility to be refunded if cancelled within a certain date. We suggest schools make contact with the accommodation or travel operators to cancel bookings.

BBNZ will provide full refunds to those schools who have paid the tournament entry fee. An email has been sent to schools outlining the process for this.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH INFORMATION:

We are asking our community to make sure they are up to date with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 webpage, particularly the health advice for the general public section.

REMEMBER:

• Wash your hands
• If you don’t need to travel overseas, then don’t. Enjoy your own back yard for a time
• If you’re sick, stay home
• If you sneeze, do it into your elbow
• Stop handshakes, hugs, and hongi
• Please be mindful of the older citizens in your life. Check in on them, but if you’re sick, keep your distance
• Anyone arriving from overseas must follow the self-isolation process
• Do what is best for you and your communities to keep them safe and healthy.

Protecting people’s health is our priority, while also operating within this situation as best we can. We will take actions to respond to the changing situation as expected by the government.

With the current COVID-19 situation evolving, Basketball New Zealand is following the guidance from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and we will be making decisions with government advice at the forefront.

Protecting people’s health is our priority, while also operating within this situation as best we can. We will take actions to respond to the changing situation as expected by the government. For now, the government advice to New Zealanders is listed on the MoH COVID-19 webpage. Some of their key messages to New Zealanders is:

• Wash your hands
• If you don’t need to travel overseas, then don’t. Enjoy your own back yard for a time.
• If you’re sick, stay home
• If you sneeze, do it into your elbow
• Stop handshakes, hugs, and hongi
• Please be mindful of the older citizens in your life. Check in on them, but if you’re sick, keep your distance
• Anyone arriving from overseas must follow the self-isolation process.

BBNZ EVENTS AND GOVERNMENT ADVICE AROUND EVENTS:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made a statement this evening saying mass gatherings over 500 people should be cancelled. The Prime Minister added that, later in the week, further guidance will be issued for event organisers about how they can mitigate issues around gatherings, or if the event should be cancelled. We are awaiting that information. For now, the following is the status of our events that are coming up in the next four weeks.

3×3 SECONDARY SCHOOLS:

• School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) has suspended all events on the SSNZ calendar (as of 8:30pm this evening), including the 3×3 Secondary Schools Championships.
• SSNZ will review this decision on Monday 6 April.
• We will continue to communicate with SSNZ and, at a  suitable time, discuss any possibilities of rescheduling this event in future.

3X3 QUEST TOUR FINAL IN CHRISTCHURCH:

• This event is currently planned for 28 March.
• This is a small event with no more than 32 New Zealand-based players expected.
• However we will make a decision about this event once we consider the event guidance to be issued by the Government.
• We will continue to monitor and take advice from MoH.

SAL’S NBL:

• The NBL is awaiting the release of further guidance around events from the Government.
• The League continues to be in constant contact with the teams. We will further discuss next steps for season 2020 once the Government’s guidance around events has been issued.
• Anyone arriving from overseas must follow the self-isolation process.
• The NBL will continue to make the health of our players, fans and the wider community the highest priority.
• The NBL is following advice from MoH
• We will continue to keep people updated here and in the NZNBL.basketball website

MESSAGE FOR ASSOCIATIONS:

• Please keep in touch with Basketball New Zealand before making decisions like cancelling or postponing events, or any major decisions you are considering around COVID-19 so that we can keep abreast of what’s happening nationally.
• Associations can contact Matthew Ruscoe (matthew@nz.basketball) if there are issues you wish to discuss.
• We await more information from the Government around events, which is expected later this week.

FIBA EVENTS

• All FIBA events have been suspended.
• FIBA says they will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and will evaluate the options for the continuation of the respective competitions when and if the situation allows for it.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH INFORMATION:

We are asking our community to make sure they are up to date with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 webpage, particularly the health advice for the general public section.

The Sal’s New Zealand Basketball League (NBL) has taken steps to proactively address the threat of COVID-19.

It will be a mandatory for all players and team management who are arriving from overseas to follow the Ministry of Health’s self-isolation guidance, regardless of which country they are arriving from. That is currently stated as 14 days on the MoH website.

NBL General Manager, Justin Nelson, says that with sporting leagues and events being cancelled or suspended around the world, the NBL has chosen to be proactive in the hope of protecting the community, including fans, teams, and the League.

“The health and safety of our players, coaches and team staff is paramount, particularly at this time during our preparations for the coming season. But it is also a business decision. We have seen other sports around the world suspending all activity when a player has been diagnosed with COVID-19. If a case was brought into the NBL community, it would affect the League’s ability to play games. The ramifications of that possibility are significant, and we are taking this very-real threat seriously.

“It appears New Zealand is fortunate that cases have been kept to a minimum and people appear to be following self-isolation requests if they feel unwell. In the current climate we may still be able to play a full season and broadcast all games. We are making this call to try and protect that,” says Mr Nelson.

The NBL says more than 50 of the League’s players across both the men’s and women’s leagues are arriving from overseas in the coming weeks, including New Zealand citizens. Nelson says the NBL does not want any players arriving from overseas to show up to practice without being cleared.

“We realise this is a step up in what’s currently required from others arriving from abroad, but we have decided it’s best to be proactive.”

Nelson adds that announcing this precaution now gives the teams time to consider how best to manage their risks and discuss options with their players arriving from overseas. It also gives players the option to get to New Zealand early should they wish to start in game one of the season. Round one of the NBL tips off 9 April.

“The teams are understanding despite this being unsettling for them. The teams are now reaching out to players to discuss options, but we apologise if players are finding this out through the media first – we decided it was best to get this decision out quickly so that our messages are clear as to why we are taking this step,” says Nelson.

The NBL are continuing to monitor updates from the NZ government and the Ministry of Health. Nelson says the NBL has also consulted Basketball New Zealand’s Medical Director, who backs the decision as a strong but important precaution.

“We’ve seen other sporting competitions around the world facing big challenges due to COVID-19.  This decision is to ensure the best preventative measures are in place and right now we fully expect the Sal’s NBL season to proceed from Thursday 9 April” says Nelson.

Basketball New Zealand has a number of other tournaments planned in the coming months, to be held throughout New Zealand. Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive Iain Potter says the organisation is closely following advice from the experts.

“We are still monitoring the advice from the New Zealand Government and Ministry of Health. At this stage we are proceeding with our planned national events. We will be taking precautions around these including the promulgation of government advice around hygiene and preventative measures,” says Potter.

More information:

• Ministry of Health’s self-isolation guidance
• Further information on COVID-19 from Ministry of Health

FIBA has just announced that all FIBA competitions are suspended as of tomorrow, Friday, 13 March 2020.

FIBA said in their media release that this is in consideration of the current situation with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and in order to protect the health and safety of players, coaches, officials and fans.

FIBA added that they will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and will evaluate the options for the continuation or not of the respective competitions when and if the situation allows for it.

The New Zealand and Japan Under 17 boys’ teams are to playoff for qualification to the FIBA Under 17 World Cup.

Following the cancellation of the FIBA Under 16 Championships, FIBA resorted to reviewing the junior World Rankings, which saw Japan and New Zealand sitting 27^th equal in Asia. The top four teams in Asia qualify for the World Cup, with Australia (#11), China (#14) and Korea (#19) advancing.

Japan and New Zealand will play each other in a neutral location and date yet to be decided.

More in the FIBA release here: http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17/2020/news/draw-set-for-fiba-u17-basketball-world-cup-2020

Last night FIBA released a statement advising a number of events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing developments of the COVID-19 virus, which included the cancellation of the FIBA U16 Asian Championships.

Boys’ and girls’ New Zealand representative teams were scheduled to compete at these events, in attempt to finish within the top four teams in Asia to qualify for the FIBA U17 World Cup later this year.

Due to the cancellation of the U16 Asian Champs, FIBA have resorted to updating the World Rankings overnight to decide which top four teams in Asia will qualify for the World Cups.

Unfortunately the New Zealand girls team was ranked sixth in Asia, one place behind Chinese Taipei. This means they will not proceed to the U17 World Cup this year. The girls’ FIBA U17 World Cup draw has been released overnight.

The boys ranking points sees New Zealand equal with Japan at 27 in the world. This means they are in contention for the final spot at the World Cup. FIBA are yet to state which of these teams will qualify, but Basketball New Zealand is set to discuss this situation in a meeting with FIBA and the Japanese Basketball Federation this evening.

Player welfare and safety for our teams remains our priority and we will continue to follow guidance from health experts and FIBA.

Basketball New Zealand has been monitoring the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis and will continue to do so.

We are closely following the advice of the New Zealand Ministry of Health (MOH). This is the first place you should check for the latest updates. Their dedicated Healthline number for COVID-19 is 0800 358 5453.

Here is some BBNZ-specific information and further links you may find helpful.

Tournaments and Leagues

We are planning on the basis that it will be business as usual until we know differently. We have pandemic policies in place from previous instances, such as measles, and will continue to liaise closely with event hosts and sanctioning bodies.

If you are hosting events or leagues of any kind, the MOH has guidelines that can be seen here.  It should be noted that many insurance companies are not including COVID-19 in event cancellation insurance. You may wish to check directly with your insurer.

International Events

We are in regular communication with FIBA about the many international events that we have commitments to. These include the U16 Asia Champs, 3×3 Olympic Qualifiers, Men’s 5×5 Olympic qualifiers, U18 Asia Champs, U18 3×3 Worlds, etc.

The U16 Asia Champs have been cancelled. The 3×3 Olympic Qualifiers have been postponed. We will continue planning for the other events as if they will go ahead (because we have to assume that they will), but at the same time are assessing the implications of cancellations or postponements.  We are expecting that at least some events will be cancelled or postponed given the spread of the virus and the consequent responses from various governments.

We appreciate your understanding with this level of uncertainty and will advise affected parties as (and if) situations change. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) travel advisories can be viewed here.

Workplaces

A common-sense approach should be employed, with heightened importance placed on personal hygiene. Again, the MOH provides guidelines in their advisory. You may wish to increase the hand hygiene signage in your bathrooms, particularly in gyms, stadiums and high-traffic public areas.

As always, if you have any queries, please contact the relevant BBNZ staff member.

Tonight, FIBA has sent out a media release advising of a number of events that have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing developments of the COVID-19 virus.

The tournaments that effect our New Zealand teams include the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and the FIBA U16 Aisan Championships.

Basketball New Zealand will continue communicating with FIBA and we are awaiting further information about what the qualification process might be from here, if our teams are to compete for a spot in the U17 World Cup and the 3×3 event at the Olympics.

Player welfare and safety for our teams remains our priority and we will continue to follow guidance from health experts and FIBA.

Read the full FIBA media release here: http://www.fiba.basketball/news/changes-made-to-several-fiba-events-due-to-covid-19-virus