ALL SPORTING EVENTS can resume from Monday 29 June, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced.

It had been expected that close-contact training would be permitted to resume from 29 June, but that leagues would not yet recommence. 

The original roadmap for reopening Ireland had close-contact training scheduled to resume only from 20 July. GAA championship games had been scheduled to resume from Friday 31 July, with inter-county training allowed by the autumn.

“In Phase Three, all sporting activities – including close contact sports – can recommence,” Varadkar announced this evening. “This includes team leagues for adults and children.”

In a statement outside of Government Buildings, he revealed that Cabinet had approved a “rephasing” of the roadmap, meaning some places can be reopened in Phase Three on 29 June, rather than Phase Four on 20 July.

This means churches, cinemas, leisure facilities, and all sporting activities – including close-contact sports – can recommence from 29 June.

Gatherings of up to 50 people indoors and 200 people outdoors will be allowed from 29 June, while gatherings of 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors will be allowed from 20 July.

Varadkar emphasised that “we all need to stay careful”.

It will not be as it was before the start of the pandemic. For now, sports will take place with a very limited numbers of spectators.