Return of Sport Would 'Lift the Nation' - Dominic Raab
Restarting sport in
Britain would "lift the spirits of the nation" amid the coronavirus
crisis, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.
Speaking at Downing
Street's daily briefing he said the government "has had constructive
meetings with sports bodies".
He said talks had
focused on athletes resuming training when safe to do so.
And he added that
the culture secretary was looking at plans to hold sports behind closed doors.
"I think it
would lift spirits of the nation," Raab said.
"People would
like to see us get back to work and children can go to school safely but also
pastimes like sport."
Discussions about
the Premier League's return are continuing but there had been no official
comment from the government.
The Premier League
is hopeful of restarting in the week beginning 8 June with matches behind
closed doors. Plans for games at neutral venues have been suggested in a bid to
get the season finished.
"I can tell
you that the culture secretary has been working on a plan to get sport played
behind closed doors when we move to the second phase so that is something we
are looking at," Raab said.
"Of course,
the key point though - we can only do it when the medical advice and scientific
advice is that it can be done safely and sustainably. But certainly that is
something under active consideration."
Speaking to Radio
4's Today programme earlier on Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancock said he
was "open" to the idea of the Premier League returning if there was
enough testing being done.
"But we've got
to make decisions about what the relative priorities are of all the different
things that could be reopened," he added.
Former health
secretary Jeremy Hunt also told the Today programme football should resume.
"It can, and it should. And it
is our national sport. And when people are stuck at home, this is the kind of
thing that would lift people's morale and its spirit."
FROM .bbc.com/sport
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