This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Exempt amateur boxing from Covid-19 restrictions
Currently young people can go to a pub and drink but cannot take part in amateur boxing, unlike football, rugby and professional boxing. We believe this is unfair, and amateur boxing should be exempted from Covid-19 restrictions so this activity can resume.
More details
This sport can help keep young people off the streets and is an important part of some communities. Many boxers, coaches and officials volunteer their time unpaid yet are unable to compete in the UK. No coaching or education courses are being run and this is detrimental to the next generation of boxers.
This is about allowing volunteers to prove they can provide a safe environment for competitions to take place and boxers to achieve their dreams and careers. These young people need your support.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 23 November 2020
Boxing is crucial for staying active. Due to the rise in infections, indoor and outdoor sports and leisure must remain closed until 2 December. Grassroots sport will return as soon as it is safe.
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of lockdown earlier this year - and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so over the summer.
Government recognises the many benefits that boxing can bring, such as in relieving stress, stimulating endorphins, and building physical strength and self-confidence. Boxing clubs are also based in the heart of many communities and are therefore in a unique position to be able to engage people who may feel disconnected. We welcome the work done by organisations such as England Boxing to bring communities together through projects that tackle issues such as knife and gun crime, extremism and holiday hunger; whilst also engaging people with mental health issues, long term health conditions and those from lower socio-economic groups and BAME backgrounds.
Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However, as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, including boxing venues, will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
In order for these measures to have the greatest impact, we will all need to sacrifice doing some things that we would otherwise like to do, for a short period of time. We have not introduced further exemptions because once you unpick one activity the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised.
However as soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return, and DCMS and Sport England will continue to work with National Governing Bodies to make this happen.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Related activity
DCMS Committee to hear from sports facility representatives on surviving the pandemic
On Tuesday 12 December, a group of MPs called the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee will hear from the gym industry on making sure our sports facilities, including pools and leisure centres, can survive the pandemic.
Watch the session from 10 am on Tuesday 12 January on Parliament’s streaming site: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/c4f1d7a0-2370-412b-8d88-a297b6abf06a
This 'evidence session' is part of the Committee's inquiry into Sport in our communities. The Committee will hear from two panels:
Panel 1 (10 am to 11 am)
Rich Emerson, CEO, The Climbing Academy, and Chair of the Association of British Climbing Walls.
Rebecca Passmore, UK Managing Director, PureGym
Panel 2 (11 to 12 pm)
Marg Mayne, CEO, Mytime Active, and Treasurer of Community Leisure UK
Huw Edwards, CEO, ukactive
The session is part of a longer inquiry looking into Sport in our communities. You can find out more here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/647/sport-in-our-communities/
You can get involved with the inquiry by recording your own video message or short film to answer the question: What does community sport mean to me?
You must follow current COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions when filming your video- do not put yourself and others at risk. You can use animation, film your video indoors and you don’t need to film outside. We want to hear about why community sport is important to you and why it matters to you.
Find out more here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/647/sport-in-our-communities/news/123537/what-does-community-sport-mean-to-you-contribute-to-our-inquiry/
Further information
Find out how to get involved in the work of the UK Parliament: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/
Find out about the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/digital-culture-media-and-sport
Follow the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Twitter:
@CommonsDCMS and take part in this discussion with #MyCommunitySport
Find out how Select Committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c