The Uganda Rugby Union has announced a proposed date for the resumption of rugby activities in the country.
In a press release on the resolution to call to an end the 2019/20 season, URU has disclosed that the target is to resume rugby earliest January 23, 2021.
“We are targeting January 23, 2021 as the resumption date for rugby and intend to utilise the time before then to engage all stakeholders to find a sustainable approach to meeting the SOPs,” reads the document in part.
The union has cited a major constraint in meeting the financial requirements for COVID-19 testing of all players and officials set by the government. Furthermore, the need for all players to be isolated for the duration of the tournaments as required in the Standard Operating Procedures was found to be non-sustainable for the union and the clubs.
Therefore, the union has revealed that they intend to utilize the time until the proposed resumption date to find a sustainable approach to meeting these SOPs. This will be done by engaging all stakeholders that include the clubs, sponsors, and the government.
The proposed date of resumption is going to be 315 days since the last game of rugby was played in Uganda way back on March 14, 2020.
Having received this announcement, clubs that had already started their pre-season training in anticipation of a return-to-play are going to have to adjust their programs or put them on hold until a later date.