Given the seriousness of the Covid-19 outbreak and its potential impact on the health of members in the CRNZ community we feel it is necessary to update on the steps we are taking to best enable our members to remain safe and well and fully informed.
International Competition
Given the current global situation it was determined on Monday to suspend overseas travel for New Zealand teams until at least the end of May. The ICF have since announced all ICF and international canoeing competitions be cancelled or postponed until the end of this period.
Competitions in this period include the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup events in Racice (May 8-10) and Duisburg (May 21-22) and the Asia Pacific Cup, scheduled for Komatsu, Japan (May 15-17).
At this stage, the intention is to select a team for the 2020 ICF Canoe Sprint World Junior & U23 Championships in Brandenburg in July, for the Tokyo Olympic Games (July-August) and the Tokyo Paralympic Games (August-September). We are currently preparing as if all three events will be going ahead on the specified dates.
Also to avoid any potential disruptions and in the interest of health the decision has been taken for all New Zealand teams to carry out all training in New Zealand until mid-June before flying out to compete in Germany and Japan, respectively.
Domestic Competition
As of March 16, 2020, the Ministry of Health’s advice is that events and/or gatherings greater than 500 people should be cancelled.
The next national event on the calendar is the New Zealand Marathon Championships hosted at the Waitemata Canoe Club on March 28/29. As this is a very small event and it does not require people to be within close confines, CRNZ does not see any reason to cancel the event at this stage.
We will work with Waitemata Canoe Club to set up hygiene and health protocols to ensure participants’ safety as much as possible.
We also recognise that some competitors may not feel comfortable travelling to the event, or competing. If this is the case, and if competitors are hoping to use the New Zealand Kayak Marathon Championships to qualify for the World Marathon Championships, CRNZ will consider this under the Exceptional Circumstances rules in our CRNZ Selection Regulations, which can be found HERE
Domestic Training
CRNZ Camps
There are a number of training camps and workshops scheduled between now and the end of 2020. Some of these camps will likely need to be rescheduled. Our team is working on an individual basis with those affected.
Clubs and Daily Paddling Environments
Our clubs are likely to be affected by new restrictions and protocols caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. It is important that clubs and members are aware of good practice in order to ensure a safe environment for all.
Board Meeting
The CRNZ Board Meeting scheduled for Auckland on April 4 will be replaced with a video conference.
We want to make sure everyone within the CRNZ community feels safe and valued during this period of uncertainty. We will continue to send out regular updates and continue to take advice from the NZ Government and Ministry of Health.
***The Current Ministry of Health Guidelines can be found HERE
