New interest group calls for the opening of tennis halls
The newly founded "Austrian Tennis and Racket Sports Hall Platform" (ÖTR) wants to campaign for the reopening of tennis halls in Austria.
by tennisnet / press release
last edit: Jan 04, 2021, 01:56 pm
Bitter times for all active tennis players in Austria: tennis has been banned since the new lockdown, the halls are closed.
Tennis fans and those in charge are in agreement: tennis is a safe sport in Corona times - the halls are large and high, as are the distances between the players. And sport is particularly important in the lockdown phase to compensate, also for children and young people.
The new "Austrian Tennis and Racket Sports Halls Platform" (ÖTR) is now trying to open the halls. Its president Matthias Schiffer jun. says: "Our goal is to win as many halls as possible across Austria as members as quickly as possible so that we can represent our interests with a common voice." As managing director for the project, President Marcel Weigl of the Racket Federation Austria (RFA): "So far, individual actions such as petitions or personal discussions between various hall representatives have not been heard by the federal government, the Chamber of Commerce or the tennis association."
Will that change soon and will tennis be allowed again?
Here are the 4 core requirements of the platform of Austrian tennis and racket sports halls
1. Revenue replacement subscription hours
Many tennis and racket sports halls are currently facing economic tragedies in the middle of the Corona crisis. The subscription hours make up between 60 and 80% of winter sales in an economically managed tennis hall and are usually paid in between August and October. Accordingly, the revenue replacement measures of the Ministry of Finance for November and December 2020 are absolutely inadequate. The large chunk of subscription hours is NOT taken into account.
We demand an aliquot replacement for all subscription hours for the period of the closings in order to be able to guarantee the economic survival of the tennis halls in Austria. Without halls - no year-round sport of tennis.
2. Reopening of tennis halls
A tennis court has an area of 670 m² (165 m² per person in a double) and approx. 4800 m³ of air space. It has not been scientifically or medically proven that the risk of infection from Corona on the tennis court itself - provided there is a reasonable safety concept - is greater than when skiing or ice skating. Tennis is an absolutely harmless sport and in times of sporting and social restrictions an essential factor for human health, both physically and mentally.
We demand the immediate reopening of the tennis halls as long as skiing with long queues at the lift and ice skating with many more people on smaller areas is allowed.
3. Participation in prevention concepts and free testing
The ÖTV - Austrian Tennis Association - has thankfully given thought to the safe handling of indoor tennis, as have the racket sports associations for table tennis, badminton and squash. However, the hall operators are the experts! We operate the tennis and racket sports halls and know exactly what is possible and how all the necessary hygiene and safety measures can be implemented in the best possible way in a Covid prevention concept. So far, no consultation has been held with hall operators about the feasibility of measures. In the corona-free testing planned by the government from 18.1. one wanted to hold the hall operators responsible for checking the valid tests (not older than 48 or 72 hours) at the entrance of their halls.
We call for our expertise to be included when considering corona prevention concepts and free test concepts. Ultimately, hall operators also have to implement the concepts. In addition, we demand the same conditions as in the catering industry, where corona tests that are valid for free testing are expected to be valid for one week and checks are to be carried out by the authorities.
4. Cohesion: No centers - No sports
The tennis and racket sports halls in Austria are still the plaything of politics, business and associations to this day. This is an unacceptable situation! We hall operators pay the mandatory membership fee to the Chamber of Commerce WITHOUT obtaining any support and have to submit to guidelines and regulations from associations to which we are not affiliated, which is why we have no say there. The aim of this association is to speak with ONE voice and to emphasize the importance of the halls. Without us there would be no year-round sport of tennis; other indoor sports such as badminton, squash or table tennis no longer take place at all.
We request a representative of our platform to the negotiating table with the Chamber of Commerce, with the Federal Government, as well as with the Austrian Tennis Association and the other racket sports associations.
Further information: www.oetr.at