Sporting events in Wales to be played behind closed doors

Sporting events will be played behind closed doors from Boxing Day in Wales to help control the spread of the new omicron variant.

The Welsh Economy Minister Vaughan Gething announced the changes for indoor and outdoor sporting events as the latest figures showed a further steep rise in the number of confirmed cases of the fast-moving variant.

A 3 million pound Spectator Sports Fund will be available to support clubs and sporting venues affected, and details about the fund will be available following discussions with the sector.

Last week the First Minister warned of a “gathering storm” of omicron infections after the Christmas period as some strengthened measures were introduced from 27 December.

Crowds will come back as soon as possible

The Economy Minister said:

“Sporting events over the Christmas period are one of the big highlights of the year. Unfortunately, the new omicron variant is a significant development in the pandemic and could cause a large number of infections.

“We need to do everything we can to protect people’s health and control the spread of this awful virus.

“Throughout the pandemic we have followed scientific and public health advice to keep people safe. The advice is clear – we need to act now in response to the threat of omicron. We are giving people as much notice of these decisions as we can.

“Crowds will come back as soon as possible. We want everyone to be here to enjoy their favourite sports.”

"Significant financial blow"

The Scarlets Chief Operating Officer has described the new measures as "hugely disappointing".

The Welsh regional side's United Rugby Championship derbies against Ospreys on New Year’s Day and Dragons on January 8th will be hit by the changes, and no supporters will be allowed into the stadium.

Phil Morgan said the club were expecting two of their biggest crowds of the season for the festive derbies:

“This is hugely disappointing for us all – players, staff, supporters and commercial partners, who have shown incredible loyalty to us over the last 18 months.

"The festive derbies, particularly our home game against the Ospreys, are always fantastic occasions and we were expecting two of our biggest crowds of the season for the Ospreys and Dragons games.

"While this news will be another significant financial blow to the business, the health and safety of the Scarlets community will always be our utmost priority.

“We will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government and hopefully, when it is safe to do so, we can soon welcome our fans back into Parc y Scarlets.”

The latest figures show omicron cases are rising quickly in all parts of Wales.

The overall rate of coronavirus infections is also rising in Wales and now stands at just under 550 cases per 100,000 people.

The First Minister last week warned of a gathering storm of omicron infections after the Christmas period as some strengthened measures were introduced from 27 December to protect lives and livelihoods.

The coronavirus regulations, including playing sports behind closed doors, will be reviewed regularly.

We already know about other changes coming in on the day after Boxing Day. From the 27th December, nightclubs in Wales will be closed, although the Welsh Government has announced a £60 million fund to support any afftected businesses.

From the same date, two-metre social distancing will be mandatory in offices, and measures including one-way systems and physical barriers will be introduced in businesses to protect customers and staff.

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