CMAS update on COVID-19

The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly, and with it our communities, our sports and our homes are facing a departure from our daily norms. The world faces the most critical pandemic it has seen in many centuries, no country will escape some level of impact. Though we’re unified by this truly global challenge, we’re all in different stages of its development.

• In some places around the world, you have weathered much of the storm and are returning to a sense of normality. You are our inspiration for the future

• Some are in the middle of the fight doing what needs to be done to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your families, friends and communities

• And some are battening down preparing for the worst, hoping for the best and looking to others for guidance, comfort and most importantly hope

As always CMAS has the best interests and safety of our members and their families at heart, the CMAS family is our absolute and non-negotiable priority. All meetings, training camps, sport events under the CMAS authority are postponed at least until the end of May. All high priority competitions such as the World Championships and World Series will be postponed until all the national teams and top athletes are available to take part. We will find fair and achievable solutions for holding all postponed events sometime in the future.

To fulfil that obligation CMAS has established a COVID-19 Crises Management Board (CMB). It is comprised of CMAS BOD members and leading medical experts; the group will consider and assess the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world. It will consider the consequences of that spread for CMAS events and every effort will be made to safeguard all our participants and will communicate these out. In the words of our President, Mrs. Anna Arzhanova:

“Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, CMAS has been working hard making sure our athletes, officials and fans are protected as much as possible. All those who love Underwater activities are looking forward to the 2020 competitions. CMAS is being proactive to secure the World Games, World and continental championships Qualifying System for our disciplines and to ensure our athletes benefit from both sporting opportunity and health protection. CMAS’s long-standing focus on health means we can call on many widely-recognised experts in the medical field. We are very grateful for their time and their insights.”

The CMAS CMB is composed of the following members:

• Anna Arzhanova, CMAS President
• Kevin O’Shaughnessy, CMAS General Secretary
• Ilias Xiarcos, CMAS Sport Committee President
• Dr. Michel Leglise, Antidoping and Sport Medicine Administration Director
• Dr. John Guerts, CMAS Medical commission Director

The advice from our colleague Dr, Michel Leglise is:

• Strictly follow the rules and governance as being outlined by our national governments and medical experts

• Safeguard yourself, restrict movement to essential journeys only, maintain a social distance (2 meters) between you and others, avoid groups, conduct your meetings by telephone/skype calls. Avoid shaking hands

• Wash your hands regularly, cough and sneeze into a tissue or crook of your arm, throw the tissue in the bin after one use. Avoid touching your face, avoid sick people.

• Stay at home if you have any symptoms, call your doctor before visiting him.

• The real effective measure of combatting the virus is total confinement. Nobody can forecast how long we will be in this situation, but scientists worldwide are working around the clock to get a Vaccine and promising medications

• The sources of our information is directly from, WHO, IOC, contacts in China and Scientists

We, the CMAS family are now going through this ordeal together but we are confident that we will succeed, become stronger and will show our resolve, patience and solidarity and we are confident for the future.