NCAA Releases New Slate of Return-to-Sport Guidelines

The NCAA Sport Science Institute released its latest "return-to-sport" guidelines on Thursday.

The guidelines are "designed to inform schools in responding appropriately based on their specific circumstances," per the NCAA. Thursday's guidelines including recommendations for daily self-health checks, the use of face coverings and test results within 72 hours of competition in high contact risk sports.

“When we made the extremely difficult decision to cancel last spring’s championships it was because there was simply no way to conduct them safely,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. “This document lays out the advice of health care professionals as to how to resume college sports if we can achieve an environment where COVID-19 rates are manageable."

"Today, sadly, the data point in the wrong direction. If there is to be college sports in the fall, we need to get a much better handle on the pandemic.”

The 2020-21 NCAA calendar has already seen significant alterations in recent weeks. The Big 10, Pac-12 and Big East have already canceled non-conference play for fall sports, and the Patriot League will not play any sports in the fall. 

The NCAA canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic calendar on March 12 due to the COVID-19 crisis. The beginning of the 2020-21 basketball and football schedules are still slated to begin on time.