More JNJG Tournaments Cancelled due to Coronavirus
(2:00pm - Tuesday 18th August 2020)
For the second time in just five months, Jack Newton Junior Golf (JNJG) has been forced to cancel tournaments due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, as the NSW Government and NSW Health implement stricter measures around community sport to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmissions.
Whilst JNJG has been successful in implementing its own Covid-19 Safety Plan at recent tournaments to ensure they can be run in a safe environment, an update to the public health recommendations from the Chief Health Officer for NSW Health (coming into effect on Wednesday 19th August and lasting for six weeks) will see JNJG Tournaments cancelled.
The updated public health recommendations from the NSW Government are:
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Cease activities that result in the mixing of participants and staff from different regions, for example by ceasing zone, regional or state championships or competitions (see example below)
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Cease any activities that result in overnight stays (e.g. multi-day training camps) due to increased risk of COVID transmission in residential-type settings with shared facilities
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Cease face-to-face social activities relating to community sports (e.g. award ceremonies, end-of-season social gatherings, post-training group dinners)
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Avoid carpools or bus travel with people from different household groups where possible
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For local activities, limit spectators to one parent only, where the child requires parental supervision during the sporting activity.
Examples of inter-regional mixing include activities which bring together participants (including spectators and officials) from organisations in different regions of Sydney, from a rural area into a metro area and vice versa, and movement between different rural areas.
The latest “Minimising the Risk of Covid-19 Transmission in Community Sports” update from the Chief Health Officer can be found here - https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/choletter14aug2020
As a result of the updated recommendations above, the following JNJG Tournaments scheduled to take place over the next 6 weeks have been cancelled.
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South Coast Junior Masters @ Catalina Country Club (August 29 - 30)
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Blue Mountains Junior Masters @ Wentworth Falls Country Club (September 19 - 20)
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Jack Newton International Junior Classic @ Cypress Lakes (September 28 – October 2)
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Jack Newton International Sub-Junior Classic @ Crowne Plaza (September 28 – October 2)
At this stage, the Sydney Metropolitan Encourage Shield and Junior Pennant season which are set to begin in Mid-October will still be going ahead (as this isn’t due to begin until after the current 6 week recommendation), however all clubs will be provided with updates as we receive them from NSW Health.
In addition to the JNJG tournaments above being cancelled, all JNJG Juniors on the Move Programs across the state have been cancelled. As many of these programs were due to finish up in October and November, the decision has been made to cancel Juniors on the Move for the rest of 2020 and start fresh in 2021.
These JOM programs include.
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JOM Sydney Tour
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JOM Sydney Pups
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JOM Far South Coast
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JOM A.C.T
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JOM Illawarra
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JOM Central West
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JOM Newcastle
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JOM Central Coast
JNJG is also currently seeking clarification from the NSW Government on whether the current recommendations impact its Player Development Programs (such as the JNJG Target Squad and JNJG Development Squad). It is likely that all Player Development activities will also be put on hold until the six-week deadline passes on September 30th, however Player Development Manager Heath Canning will contact relevant squad members regarding this.
Whilst JNJG Tournaments unfortunately must stop in the short-term (and we are just as upset about this as you), golf continues to thrive and remains safe to play throughout the pandemic. JNJG encourage you to continue supporting your local golf courses, playing as much golf as you can, and we look forward to seeing you back at a JNJG Tournament as soon as we’re able to host them.
For any questions in relation to the cancelled tournaments, please contact Tournament Manager Dale Hughes on 9567 7736 or email Dale@jnjg.com.au.
