Dear parents and athletes,
Following a training hiatus of almost three months, the AntetokounBros Academy is back in action.
Our first priority as an Academy is the health of our athletes and coaching staff. After an extensive study of all the new parameters currently in play, and all guidelines issued by the relevant authorities, the General Secretariat of Sports, and the Hellenic National Public Health Organization (HNPHO), we have designed a safe training environment that upholds specific hygiene protocols so that our athletes can get back to playing the game they love, while interacting safely with their fellow players.
Training sessions restart on Saturday, June 20, 2020, at the outdoor courts in Lambrini and Ambelokipi, with this year’s season running until July 18, 2020.
The educational component of the Academy’s program – which involves experiential learning techniques that cannot be undertaken in the current circumstances – will be rescheduled so that current season’s athletes have the opportunity to take these courses during the next sporting season (2020-21 – dates to be announced).
As regards program scholarships, the educational scholarships awarded to four athletes and one trainee coach for the current season will be carried over into next season (2020-21); these places are being kept exclusively for this season’s athletes and trainee coaches. There is no change in basketball training scholarships for athletes and trainee coaches. Honorees will be announced at the end of this season’s training, as planned, and their scholarships will begin in September 2020.
TRAINING RESTARTS JUNE 20, 2020
NEW TRAINING PROGRAM – NEW TRAINING HOURS
Due to the summer season, and to HNPHO guidelines for safe sporting activity, training times have changed. Each group training session will now last 60 minutes to allow for a 20-minute gap between sessions and avoid congestion as athletes enter and exit.
LAMBRINI COURT:
- Girls 10:00–11:00
- Boys 11:20–12:20
AMBELOKIPI COURT
- Group A 19:00-20:00
- Group B 20:20-21:20
Who can take part in training sessions?
In accordance with HNPHO guidelines, all athletes – regardless of age – can take part, so long as they are healthy, have no symptoms that might indicate a Covid-19 infection (fever, cough, fatigue, muscle pain), and have not come in close contact with persons suffering from Covid-19.
Athletes who have been diagnosed with Covid-19, or who display any of the symptoms listed above, or who have had close contact with persons suffering from Covid-19 must NOT come to training sessions. They must stop training for as long as is deemed necessary by their personal physician and the HNPHO, and must inform the Academy immediately of their situation.
What is required for a return to training on June 20?
All Academy athletes must do the following:
- submit a completed “Athlete Registration Form” YOU CAN FIND IT HERE signed by their parent or guardian; and
- all athletes who have an “Athlete ID Card” issued by another sporting body must also submit this document, along with the supporting health certificate provided by their personal physician (the same document supplied to the sporting body where they are registered).
In addition, all athletes and trainee coaches are being offered the opportunity to take a Covid-19 antibody test, conducted by means of a blood test performed at the sporting facilities by specialized nursing personnel from the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center. The test is optional but recommended as an additional safety precaution during this restart of the Academy’s training program. Testing will take place on Saturday, June 20 at the facilities, before the start of each training session, at times specifically appointed to each athlete in order to avoid congestion and queuing outside the courts. We would like to make clear that there is no cost to athletes for testing. Athletes can only be tested if they submit a completed Consent Form YOU CAN FIND IT HERE signed by their parent or guardian. Please see this chart for each athlete’s test appointment time HERE.
The documents outlined above must be sent by email to [email protected] by Thursday, June 18, or brought in person to the first training session.
In the event that an athlete tests positive, either for antibodies or the Covid-19 virus, their parent or guardian will be notified immediately, and the athlete will have to leave the sporting facilities, return home, and contact their personal physician and the HNPHO for observation. In such an event, parents and guardians are advised to take athletes home in private vehicles and not on public transport, to avoid spreading the virus.
New training provisions, and the measures to be implemented at each training session:
In order to follow all guidelines concerning safe sporting activity, the following will be implemented at each training session:
- All sporting facilities will be sanitized before each training session, care of the City of Athens’ Culture, Sport and Youth Organization.
- ONLY athletes are allowed to enter the sporting facilities. Parents, guardians, family members, and social workers are NOT allowed to enter the facilities due to an HNPHO directive limiting the number of persons who can be present at any one time.
- A gap of 20 minutes between training sessions has been set to allow time for the basketballs to be sanitized, and to avoid congestion as athletes enter and exit the facilities.
- All basketballs in use will be sanitized by coaches before and after training sessions, and at regular intervals during training sessions.
- Antiseptic hand gel will be provided to athletes and coaches before, during, and after training sessions.
- Coaches will wear masks throughout all training sessions.
- Athletes are not be allowed to wear masks during training sessions.
- As athletes enter the sporting facilities, coaches will note their personal details, their time of entry and exit, and any symptoms in a special attendance register; athletes are required to sign this register.
- As athletes enter the sporting facilities, they will have their temperature taken by coaches. If an athlete records a temperature of more than 37ºC, their temperature will be taken two more times. If they again record a temperature of more than 37ºC, their parent or guardian will be notified, and the athlete will have to leave the facilities and return home for observation by their personal physician.
- If coaches detect symptoms indicative of a Covid-19 infection (fever, cough, fatigue, muscle pain) in an athlete, their parent or guardian will be notified, and the athlete will have to leave the facilities and return home for observation, to track the development of their symptoms.
- Before every training session, athletes will need to inform the Academy’s Administrative Office about the state of their health and submit the Athlete’s Registration Form mentioned above [email protected]
See you on the court on Saturday, June 20!
Please don’t forget to send all the necessary documents to [email protected] or bring them with you to your training session.
ΑntetokounBros Academy
Contact number: +306981205805