“Let us reopen, the sector is on its knees”

After the publication of the last Dpcm, in force from today, they still remain again closed gyms, swimming pools and ski resorts. A choice, that of Draghi government, which did not surprise entrepreneurs in the sports sector, now increasingly disappointed by the fact of not being able to reopen their activities despite full compliance with anti-Covid security protocols.

If only two weeks ago it was hoped for a “short” reopening, today the fate of gyms and sports centers (due to the English variant of the virus) is instead extremely sad. According to the indications of the CTS experts, in fact, it should be able to reopen only when the number of infections has dropped below the threshold of 50 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, a scenario that would allow the regions that managed to reach it to pass into the white band. A goal, this, still far away for a territory like the Veneto one.

«As gyms we have now been closed since October. So, the government has forgotten us for 125 days – they sadly declare to our microphones Denis Campagnaro and Matteo Springolo, in charge of CrossFit Postumia and of the MyGym gyms in Treviso – If we look at the refreshments received, these are really negligible when compared with the losses that for us have now reached 85%. The damage is therefore enormous, but this does not mean that we stop believing in our work. Precisely for this reason in recent months we have decided, despite the various Dpcm against us, to continue the preparatory work for the opening of our new MyGym City gym (former Academy) along the Terraglio in Treviso, a few meters from Cisalfa. This is a structure that has been closed for several years now, but we wanted to invest in it, also giving a main focus to the weight room and crossfit components. Covid, unfortunately, then forced us to slow down right in the bud, but now we aim to be ready for when the government decides to officially reopen us “.

However, Springolo and Campagnaro are also worried about the ways in which the gyms will be reopened: “In the event of a reopening with closed changing rooms, restricted accesses and limited hours, the economic damage would continue to be considerable and, perhaps, the expense to restart could be higher than the takings. Just think that many businesses like ours have long since blocked subscriptions. So, when we restart, we will find ourselves actually starting to collect not before a few months ».

A thought, this, also shared by the 50-year-old Renato Orazio of the Maenphis gymnasium in Ponzano Veneto: «Reopening just to be done in late spring would be deleterious. It means meeting the “dead” summer months and, therefore, lower income. It will therefore be necessary to understand the possible convenience. I certainly do not want to abandon my customers and sports lovers in general, but today we are talking about about 130 thousand euros in damages between out-of-pocket expenses and non-collection. I have been in this sector for over thirty years and have managed the Maenphis gym for 14, but I had never really seen such disorganization. – Renato comments – It seems that at the highest levels of politics they have forgotten about us. Perhaps, in Rome there is a plan for a total modification of what are today’s sports associations. A program that probably aims at new controls, including fiscal ones, for a wider regularization of gyms. Therefore, I can say that for me the end of the era of gym management as we know it now has come.

The comment of Yuri, owner of the Dorian Gray gym in Maser, is also caustic, for months in battle against the “non” decisions of the Government: «What was reported in the Dpcm last night is just the umpteenth disappointment for our entire sector, now forgotten. My business alone suffered losses of 120,000 euros. If they think that having us reopen in a month, or even longer, could be advantageous for us, they are very wrong. We will certainly reopen, also because we do not want to abandon our athletes, but we cannot continue like this, with postponements from month to month. We need certainty! ». A situation, that of the gyms, so difficult that next Tuesday 9 March at 2 pm, in Piazza Montecitorio in Rome under the seat of the Parliament, a national demonstration will be held by the various categories of the world of sport. This is one way to once again launch a cry for help against a state considered “absent”.

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