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Saudi Arabia is lifting a ban on sports activities from June 21, allowing clubs to resume practice. However, fan will continue to be barred from watching events as a precautionary measure in the fight against coronavirus. Image Credit: Reuters

Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia has decided to lift the ban on sports activities starting from June 21, allowing clubs to resume practice.

The Saudi Sports Ministry said in a statement it took the decision following coordination with a committee tasked with following up on the fight against coronavirus.

It added sports associations should resume competitions as of August 4, but fans would not be allowed to attend.

Clubs should apply preventive measures during practice, as the government had settled on a set of strict conditions that must be followed for sports to be allowed to return, it said.

The Ministry of Sports stated that it will, in coordination with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and sports federations, find out all preventive measures and procedures, and the mechanism for its implementation and supervision, in order to ensure the safety of all employees of the sports sectors.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports, issued a decision to form a committee that would directly supervise the mechanism of the return of sporting activity and evaluate the situation continuously in coordination with the committee concerned with following up the developments of the coronavirus crisis and take any necessary measures in a timely manner, to protect safety of all athletes.