U.S. Conference of Mayors creates advisory panel on re-opening recreation areas

A high-level advisory group of some of the country’s leading public health and sports experts has been established to advise mayors and sports and recreation officials on safe policies and practices as cities reopen from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The newly-established U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Panel on Sports, Recreation, and Health is a joint venture between The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Health, and the NYU School of Professional Studies Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport.

“We want to bring the best advice to mayors and other officials as they think about ways to open up their playgrounds, recreation centers, swimming pools, and youth sports programs this year. We want to bring the best in scientific findings to help them develop practical and safe solutions for their communities,” stated Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics at NYU Langone Health and the founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics. Caplan, a renowned author and national health commentator, will serve as one of the co-chairs of the Advisory Panel.

“Everyone wants to bring sports and recreation programs back as soon as is safely possible. The demand is as much for professional sports as it for youth sports, local parks and recreation programs, high school and collegiate sports, and reopening of our stadiums and arenas. Cities, sports leagues and organizations will need to do this in a safe and responsible way,” stated Lee H. Igel, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor at the Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport at the NYU School of Professional Studies. Igel will serve as one of the three co-chairs of the Advisory Panel.

In the coming months, the Panel will add members as issues arise. It will also be conducting research, surveys, and reports using the resources of both organizations.