Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – UPDATE 11/05/2020

WPA ANNOUNCEMENT

Novel Coronavirus

(COVID-19)

UPDATE – 11/05/2020

I hope you and you families are staying safe and well.

The WPA Executive Committee has been closely monitoring the situation with regard to the official advice from the UK and Welsh Governments and NHS and NHS Wales.

Since the lockdown was introduced, the Executive Committee have held several meetings, the latest being this morning – following the announcements by the Welsh Government First Minister and the Prime Minister.

As we are sure you are aware, there are now some slight differences between the positions of the Welsh and UK Governments, but as this matter is devolved, the announcements by the Prime Minister relate ONLY to England.

With this in mind, the position in Wales in relation to playing sports remains unchanged. The First Minister, Mark Drakeford, made the following statement on Sunday 10th May:

I set out the modest changes to the stay-at-home regulations we are making in Wales on Friday. These will come into force tomorrow afternoon.

Here in Wales, we will change the regulations so people can exercise more often and allow garden centres to open, if they can comply with social distancing.

Our advice has not changed in Wales.

  • Wherever you can you should stay at home.
  • If you need to leave home for work, exercise or shopping, you should stay local and stay alert.
  • Coronavirus has not gone away
  • The way we behave over the weeks ahead will continue to have a profound impact on our NHS and our ability to save lives.
  • If you go out, stay local and stay safe.

The Prime Minister also set out his roadmap for the future. This is at an early stage because it depends on how the virus behaves over the coming weeks and months.

Two weeks ago, I published a framework to lead Wales out of the pandemic.

This has helped us decide that schools will not return to normal on June 1.

We will continue to make decisions, which are right for Wales, using information and expert advice about how coronavirus is circulating here to keep us safe.

The health of the public is paramount. It will inform our decisions and we will continue to inform you as we plan for our future in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for all your help and support. Together we can do this.

However, in an attempt to be ready for a possible further relaxation of the restrictions and a resumption of playing of sports in some format in the new future, we have begun to work on a draft updated playing calendar, as well as a guidance document which will outline the conditions and behaviours that will need to be adhered to.

These will be published in due course, when we have a clearer picture of the government advice.

Some of you may have seen similar guidelines on social media that have already been published by a number of European federations, and it is likely that any document we publish will be very similar.

Of course, it is highly likely that, even if we do resume play later this year, many of you may feel that you are not comfortable in this kind of sporting/social environment, and this is completely understandable.

You may be interested (though not surprised) to know that our membership profile is less than favourable for safe resumption of play:

WPA Member Ages above Number of Members WPA % of membership
80 20 7.8%
70 102 39.5%
65 145 56.2%
60 171 66.3%
50 221 85.7%

The EC will continue to monitor the situation and will issue further updates as we have them.

In the meantime, we hope you and your families stay healthy.

 

REMEMBER:

 

#STAY HOME

#PROTECT THE NHS

#SAVE LIVES

Robert Pugh

National President.

WPA ANNOUNCEMENT: Pétanque England Inter-Regional Championships 2020 Cancelled

Our friends at Pétanque England have issued the following statement:

The PE Board Meeting met virtually today and a number of playing matters were discussed.

2020 Inter Regional Championships

It is with deep regret that the PE Board has decided in the light of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic that we are left with no alternative than to cancel the 2020 Inter-Regional Championships.

This decision is taken with heavy heart but we have concluded that we are unable to hold and organise such a major event safely for all our members young and old.

Considerable work has been undertaken by the Board to ensure that we were not left with significant financial liabilities and we are very grateful for the support we have received from our partners IoW Tours.

2020 would have been the last time that we would have held the Inter-Regionals at Hayling Island because of their refurbishment and remodelling to a format unsuited to our needs. We are now planning for 2021 and a new venue. We look forward to a major celebration in 2021, where once again we can all gather at the biggest and best national tournament in England.

We will update members when we have more details on the new venue, but just as an advance warning, we are expecting 2021 Inter-Regionals to take place a week earlier in September than they have taken place traditionally.

Although this is disappointing, I’m sure we all agree it is totally understandable, and we applaud the PE Board’s decision to make this call earlier rather than later.

Bob Pugh
WPA National President

#StayHome
#ProtectTheNHS
#SaveLives

 

 

WPA ANNOUNCEMENT: Home Nations 2020 Cancelled

The WPA have received the following statement from Colin Stewart, SPA President:

Dear all

It is with regret that I have to inform you that SPA has decided we have no option but to cancel the Home Nations which was scheduled to be played at Troon in August.   This is disappointing but I am sure is of no great surprise to you.  
Our view is that there are likely to be social distancing measures, restrictions on gatherings and travel etc for several months – potentially for the entire season – even if the current lock down is relaxed.  Troon PC has naturally had to suspend all fund raising activities and even if we do get a ‘green light’ before August, there is little time to start fundraising again. Coupled with this, there is the issues your own players might have for making arrangements at short notice.  It’s just not workable in our view.
We’d therefore like to request a 12 month hiatus, but would be delighted to host the tournament in August 2021 if you agree to that? We think this is the best solution and easiest for all parties involved.
I hope you and your families are all well and coping with everything.  
Kind regards
Colin Stewart
President
Scottish Petanque Association

 

Although this is disappointing, I’m sure we all agree it is totally understandable, and we applaud the SPA’s decision to make this call earlier rather than later.

Bob Pugh
WPA National President

#StayHome
#ProtectTheNHS
#SaveLives

 

 

WPA MEMBER CLAIMS NEW PRECISION SHOOTING WORLD RECORD!

This morning, news has reached WPA HQ that an, as yet unnamed, Welsh player has smashed the current Precision Shooting World Record by scoring 95 on their own piste in their back garden.

“I was getting some practice in while socially-distancing myself from the wife, and thought I’d have a go as I’ve only done it once before and then only scored 5”, said the player – normally a pointer.

“Imagine my surprise, when I got to 95 and then missed the 9m jack on the very last throw? I was gutted.

“My missus, was filming me on our camcorder from in the house, reckons I bottled it, and offered me the ever-helpful thought – ‘Nobody likes to see that’”.

The player concerned as asked that their name not be released yet as they don’t want the publicity.

The WPA National President and Director of Development have received the video and are reviewing it at the time of writing.

If found to be true, it will be released after mid-day today.

UPDATE: Regrettably, the video tape snapped just as the first boule left the player’s hand, so we are unable to confirm this wild, extravagant claim.

WPA ANNOUNCEMENT: 10th EUROPEAN TRIPLES CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR WOMEN – POSTPONED

This morning, we received the following statement from Mike Pegg, CEP President:
Dear Federations, Dear Presidents,
We are all in the midst of an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, with daily updates and actions being taken by governments around the world. During these uncertain times health, safety and the well-being of our families, friends and the community at large is paramount. 
I can confirm we are continuing a detailed evaluation of all scenarios for our 2020 Championships, including postponement and cancellation, as a result of the COVID-19.
After discussing the current situation with members of the Spanish Federation we have taken the decision to postpone the Women’s Triples Championship which was scheduled to be held from the 4th to 7th June in Spain.
The landscape is changing day-by-day with COVID-19, and we will adapt our plans accordingly however, for the present time we are now scheduling the 10th European Triples Championship for Women to take place in Torrelavega, Spain from the 29th October to the 1st November 2020.
We shall issue the registration and hotel reservation documents a little closer to the date when we can be sure the championship can go ahead safely. Meanwhile, we will communicate openly and often to keep you advised of our plans. .
With warm regards
Mike
As a result of this, we would hope to be able to hold a Qualifying Assessment event to find a team to attend this event, and as soon as we have further confirmation, we will issue a further notification.
In the meantime. the EC met by video conference yesterday and are continuing to monitor the situation and will issue further updates as we have them.
Finally, we hope you and your families are well and continue to stay healthy.
Kind regards
Bob
Robert Pugh
National President.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – UPDATE 15/03/2020

WPA ANNOUNCEMENT

Novel Coronavirus

(COVID-19)

SUSPENSION OF ALL WPA EVENTS

The WPA Executive Committee has been closely monitoring the situation with regard to the official advice from the UK and Welsh Governments and NHS and NHS Wales.

In light of the latest official information, as well as the Press Release issued today by the F.I.P.J.P., we have taken the decision to suspend ALL WPA events, competitions and meetings from midnight on Sunday 15th March 2020 until further notice.

This includes all formal and leisure-playing of the sport.

The F.I.P.J.P. Press Release can be found HERE.

We understand that some of you will be disappointed by this decision, but we recognise that we have a duty of care to all our members and feel that now is the right time, in view of the age-profile of our members themselves as well as the potential to pass the infection on to vulnerable people with whom we may come into contact.

This action brings us in line with our friends in England, who have already announced a suspension of all their competitions and meetings.

Although our member clubs are autonomous bodies, we feel we should advise them that we believe that they should also implement a similar suspension of they playing activities.

Hopefully, this suspension will be temporary and we can all get back to playing the sport we enjoy soon.

The EC will continue to monitor the situation and will issue further updates as we have them.

In the meantime, we hope you and your families stay healthy.

Robert Pugh

National President.

Caerleon RFC PC – Bastille Day Weekend

Caerleon RFC PC

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You are warmly invited to join us for our 12th Bastille event – our annual weekend of petanque, fun & friendship.

Play in one or both competitions – our weekend coincides with Caerleon’s Arts Festival featuring free bands both nights, and events during the day: why not make a weekend of it!

Places for each event secured by payment – no licence needed

Any questions? Speak to Tansy, google Caerleon RFC Petanque, or email us at caerleon [dot] petanque [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk

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Saturday 11th July

Bastille Melee:

The most popular event in our calendar with 70+ players mixed in over 4 games. Lots of prizes, inc. “most average” & best French fancy dress.

£6 entry includes a great buffet lunch

Sunday 12th July

Caerleon Open Triples:

This is a competitive, friendly event with a prize pot of £200, rising with entries. £15 a team (£20 for team of 4)
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Caerleon RFC PC, Broadway, Caerleon, NP18 1AY

More details, including Entry Form, can be found here

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – UPDATE 09/03/2020

The WPA Executive Committee is regularly discussing the situation regarding the current outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and is continuing to monitor the advice provided by the Welsh and UK Governments and Health Authorities.

Given the current situation The Welsh Pétanque Association wishes to advise our members that all WPA events are, at present, unaffected. We will, however, continue to monitor the situation and if Government advice changes this situation may change and we will advise further.

In the meantime, we recommend all of our members to adopt Government advice with regard to hand hygiene whilst participating in our sport, as well as using tissues to catch any coughs or sneezes.

Pétanque is a tactile sport and for the time being, we think it’s advisable to refrain from handshakes and kissing, adopting the ‘elbow bump’ instead .

As the situation in Wales and the rest of the UK is ever-changing, this page will be updated as the official advice changes.

Below are the relevant official websites:

NHS Wales – Latest Information on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Public Health Wales – Statement on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

UK Government – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Latest Information and Advice

UK Government – Travel Advice: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

 

WPA International Qualifiers – Assessment Series 2020

WPA COMPETITIONS

INTERNATIONAL QUALIFIERS ASSESSMENT SERIES 2020

The Qualification Assessment Series will take place commencing with the Preliminary Round
at
Monkstone Petanque Club, Penylan, Cardiff
Over the weekend of
 Saturday/Sunday 28/29th March 2020
Pre Entry is required and the closing date is
Sunday 22nd March 2020
Once you have entered, you will be allocated a time for your Preliminary session.
Please use the Online Entry Form at
Entry Fee £7 per Competition
Payment can be made on the day  
Before entering, please ensure you have read, and understand the Representation Policy which can be found at:
Please Note that members may enter the Preliminary Round for their own development without committing to one of the WC or EC competitions – use the NON-QUALIFYING SELF-ASSESSMENT option.
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