To Our Australian Ice Racing Family

We are in the middle of something our sport has never experienced before and will hopefully never experience again. Right now, we find ourselves in the midst of extraordinary National (and international) measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This for the safety of all our community, and not just the sporting community and something I applaud form both the Australian Government and all state governments.

As a first responder, my response as National President has been delayed due to increased hours of duty along with recalls to duty – I know how real this fight is to the safety of our communities.

My care for the sport and our members has not diminished and I will see us coming back into action soon, although likely only on a domestic level in the first instance before the end of 2020.

In the background, the board has been discussing a variety of options for the future, including planning for the 2020/2021 international season which we feel, for Australians, will be limited by extended international travel bans.

In the short term, we are discussing that the 2020 Duke Trophy will be cancelled due to current travel bans and isolation requirement for interstate travel by some or most states involved.

We are considering tentatively re-scheduling the 2020 Australian Open Short Track Championships to early to mid-December, in the hope that interstate travel restrictions from state to state will be relaxed.

As a board, our first priority is to make decisions that ensure the health and wellbeing of all our Australian Ice Racing family and it will remain at the forefront of what we do. We have also decided that your current AIR membership will be extended for 6 months from the date of rink re-opening. More details will follow once we have a better understanding of the situation.

We’ll continue to regularly consult with key stakeholders and although our Facebook posts have been limited, we expect these will pick up shortly as we gather together where we are as a sport and community.

Our National High Performance coach Richard Nizielski has been researching the effects and symptoms of COVID-19 and like many of us, was slightly skeptical in the early days of the effect of this virus. However he has taken some time to research certain factors relevant to athletes, and he has agreed to submit some articles that may assist athletes in looking after their health during this tough time, along with some training for skaters with limited access to gymnasiums and ice time.

Yours Faithfully
Frank Anderson
President
Australian Ice Racing