TY - JOUR T1 - The journey so far: professional sport during the COVID-19 pandemic JF - BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine JO - BMJ OPEN SP EX MED DO - 10.1136/bmjsem-2022-001362 VL - 8 IS - 2 SP - e001362 AU - Andrew Murray AU - Babette Pluim AU - Patrick Gordon Robinson AU - Margo Lynn Mountjoy AU - Éanna C Falvey AU - Richard Budgett AU - Andrew Massey AU - Caryn Cox Y1 - 2022/04/01 UR - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001362.abstract N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted community and professional sports. Throughout this time, sports organisations collaborated closely with the WHO, host national governments and their public health authorities. The common goals were to assess risk and to implement risk reduction measures to facilitate a stepwise return to sport, thus realising the physical and mental health benefits of sport for the participants, as well as the safe resumption of competitive events despite active SARS-CoV-2 transmission in many countries.At a community level, the WHO and many governments implemented policies to support opportunities for individuals to participate in health-enhancing physical activity for the longevity, mental health and physical health benefits conferred.1–3 Outdoor sport/physical activity carries a lower risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 due to physical distancing and ventilation.4 These sports were generally reintroduced before indoor or contact sports.5 Unfortunately, some regions were slow to recognise the low risks of outdoor, physically distanced sports activities and continued to restrict these despite their relative safety.Professional sport provides cultural, economic and employment benefits. During the pandemic, sports organisations assessed the health risk associated with an event based on … ER -