Raising shields for restraint of sport

More voices are being raised to demand the resumption of sports that have been stalled for months since the epidemic began. Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean shareholders followed in the footsteps of Hockey Quebec general manager Jocelyn Thibault, who sounded the alarm on Friday.

Also read: Hockey Quebec cried out from the heart to come back to the sport

Also read: Sanitation: Intense pressure on the Prime Minister

“Bringing our youngsters back into the sport should not be an option, it should be a priority,” said the former National Hockey League goaltender.

Like most people, he worries about sports dropouts among young people.

“We see it, young people are no longer moving. Young people are demotivated. Young people no longer seem to matter. They say to themselves: ‘Why do I go to training, my season is in the water anyway.'” .

Hockey Quebec asks to discuss public health: “It is very difficult to exchange public health right now. I think we owe it to our youth to sit down together in the coming weeks and plan a return protocol. We are able to play sports in a safe way.

“Right now, it’s radio silence. We have no news. We have no deadline. We are told: Be patient. But now we have two years of patience. At some point, things have to move, ”said Pascal Bouchard, general manager of Hockey Sagune-Lock-Saint-Jean.

Many sports associations in Quebec believe that it is possible to return to the game with complete safety by enforcing sanitation measures.

Triathlete Pierre Laoi agrees. “It’s a national emergency to move young people,” he said.

Grand Duffy co-founder Pierre LaVoy expects government announcements on Thursday. “Yesterday was the calendar we wanted, so hope for clubs, organizations, parents, especially young people.”

He believes that the restriction on sports and activities has already caused a great deal of harm to children. He worries about sports dropouts, especially in adolescence. According to him, the effects can be felt long-term.

“Life has a long way of life, it’s in adolescence … there are sports that can be easily restarted. It’s more complicated sports, there are contacts. But it’s all manageable. “

Like sports associations, Pierre LaVoy is calling for a government game plan as soon as possible.