Return to Sport Should Be About Safety, Not Prizes

This is the third in a series exploring the long-term social impacts of COVID-19, written by members of the Trudeau Foundation COVID-19 Impact Committee:

Many Canadians are keen to see the reopening of high performance and professional sport. Athletes, coaches and support staff want to return to training and then competition. People whose livelihood depends on high performance and professional sport being active want to get back to work. Spectators want to once again enjoy cheering on their favourite athletes and teams.

But how should this reopening happen in the face of an ongoing pandemic? To answer this question, we must first get clear on the values that should guide decision-making.