Published Jul 31, 2020
Big Ten Fall Camps May Be Pushed Back As Conference Finalizes Protocols
Clayton Sayfie  •  Maize&BlueReview
Staff Writer
Twitter
@CSayf23

In a letter from Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and chair of league task force for Emerging Infectious Diseases Chris Kratohvil sent to the athletic directors of each member institution, the conference stated that a fall football schedule will not be released until August, and that the start of fall training camps, which is currently slated for Aug. 7, may be pushed back.

"Many options are under consideration within each sport, and we expect these updated schedules to be released in August 2020," the letter read. "While we remain hopeful for a start in September 2020, flexibility has been created within our scheduling models to accommodate necessary adjustments.

"Consistent with our collective need to be adaptable to changes in circumstances and evolving medical knowledge, even issuing a schedule does not guarantee that competition will occur.

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"We will not, and cannot, proceed with preseason camp until we are certain that we can do so safely and that will depend, in part, on testing. Once we have everything in place to execute our testing protocols effectively, including the appropriate number of tests secured for all fall sports, we can make a decision as to whether preseason camp will begin as currently scheduled. We anticipate making that decision within the next 5 days."

Also soon to come is the conference's medical policies and protocols, which the letter said would be released the week of Aug. 3.

"These protocols are being finalized by the Task Force with significant advisement from the Committee," said the letter. "Policies and protocols will include medical standardized testing requirements that will be consistently evaluated to ensure we are accounting for current medical recommendations. We believe that the implementation of these protocols will help us mitigate risk as we seek to safely resume athletic activity and competition.

"Scheduling for fall sports remains fluid and the Big Ten Conference will create a Conference-only schedule for the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. Administrators, coaches, and Conference staff have been working daily to create schedules that provide the appropriate levels of flexibility to respond in real-time to necessary changes."

To view the letter in its entirety, click here.

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