Lidos, pools and gyms set to reopen across England

Sport in England took a major step towards resuming today, as the government announced the latest easing in lockdown measures would allow pools (outdoor and indoor) and gyms to reopen.

Outdoor pools will be the first to welcome swimmers back in the water, with a date of 11th July set (although check your lido’s website and social media to see what additional booking systems may be in place and what date they will be ready to welcome you). Indoor pools, gyms and sports facilities will come a little later, from 25th July. In addition, grass roots sports will be able to start up again from this coming weekend (11th July).

Facilities will be subject to changes though in line with areas including social distancing and cleanliness. For a full guide to these, see the gov.uk page here.

British Triathlon have issued a statement today here, welcoming the news, in which Andy Salmon, British Triathlon Chief Executive, said: “We are all excited to get our swim, bike, run community back into action. We want to thank the government and colleagues at Sport England for working alongside us to find a safe way for our sport to resume.

“We ask that our community bear with us while we finalise our guidance and ensure that when you return to the sport you can do so in a safe and straightforward way. We are also delighted to see a plan for the opening of pools, indoor gyms and sport facilities across England.”

Helen Webster Editor, 220 Triathlon

About

Helen has been 220's Editor since July 2013, when she made the switch from marathons to multisport. She's usually found open-water swimming and has competed in several swimruns as well as the ÖtillÖ World Series. Helen is a qualified Level 2 Open-Water Swim Coach focusing on open-water confidence and runs regular workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol. She is also an RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard trainer/assessor.