Sport in Ireland is set to be allowed to continue for the time being as the government look to move to Level Three of Covid-19 restrictions.
After a cabinet meeting today following NPHET advice to tighten restrictions to Level Five, reports indicate the government have instead opted to bring the country to Level Three.
With Dublin and Donegal already under these restrictions, sport in Ireland could be blowing a momentary sigh of relief.
If the government had placed the country under the highest level of restrictions - all sporting events and matches would be banned.
But Level Three now means that not all sport can continue - only professional and other 'elite' matches, such as adult club and inter-county GAA, can go ahead.
With the exception of elite sport, only non-contact training in pods of up to 15 will be allowed.
However, apart from Donegal and Dublin, the rest of the country have been allowed up to 200 supporters at outdoor sporting events for the last three weeks.
Whereas under new restrictions, all sporting events will be behind closed doors - only players and essential officials will be permitted to attend.
For GAA, John Horan has confirmed that inter-county championships will still go ahead under Level Three.
It comes after Croke Park chiefs today suspended all club games until further notice due to Covid-19 concerns.
In football, the League of Ireland season is heading towards its conclusion in the coming weeks while the FAI Cup is currently at the quarter-final stage.
But the PRO14 season in rugby only kicked off last week and the four Irish provinces are preparing for a jam packed autumn and winter schedule.
Andy Farrell's Ireland are also set to be busy later this month and in November, with six international tests planned for the remainder of the Six Nations and a new November tournament.
