Ohio youth summer sports return, other sports remain sidelined due to pandemic

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Last week, Governor Mike Dewine gave the go-ahead on a handful of summer sports leagues to begin later this month.

A sports task force was put together to make guidelines and practices on how the restart would be handled.

University Hospitals, Dr. James Voos, is part of a 24-person committee that’s charting a three-phase approach in getting Ohio sports back on track.

The official start to summer is on June 20 and children who have been cooped up indoors for the last two months, are ready to expend that energy on the field.

But Dr. Voos says getting those sports back in action will begin with safety.

“Everybody is concerned.” said Dr. Voos. “First and foremost is about the safety of our children and safety of our athletes.”

High fives and hugs most certainly won’t happen this summer, but that’s hard to do if you’re a kid wanting to celebrate with your teammates.

Dr. Voos said the decision will come down to what is and isn’t appropriate.

“Ultimately it’s the comfort level...have these safety guidelines and parameters that we’ve put in place, allow our athletes to participate safely.”

And if all goes well in Phase 1, other “higher-contact” sports like soccer and basketball, will soon get the green light.

“If we can do that safely, it’s a reasonable expectation to move on to those next steps, said Dr. Voos.

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