March 28, 2024
High School Sports

IHSA to require masks for all indoor sports, activities, practices

After Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement of a mask mandate for all Illinois schools, the IHSA announced Wednesday it will require masks be worn at all IHSA indoor fall sports events, regardless of the individual’s vaccination status.

The ruling applies to all student-athletes, coaches, officials, game personnel and fans. Swimmers and divers do not have to wear masks while competing but must wear them at all other times.

It also applies to any indoor practices for all fall sports and includes all indoor camps, general conditioning, weightlifting and open gyms for IHSA winter and spring sports.

There are no restrictions applied to scheduling and spectator limitations as a result of this announcement. There are no changes to the IHSA schedule as it stands.

“Today’s announcement will not deter us from our mission of safely offering high school student-athletes in Illinois the opportunity to participate in sports and activities,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement. “Illinois high school student-athletes have been resilient in dealing with a myriad of mitigations and unexpected changes over the past year. We hope all Illinoisans do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 so we can quickly move beyond this and remove masks from indoor athletic events.”