Challenge Tri Camp
Well what a year 2020 has been – who would have thought that all of our lives would have changed so much in such a short period of time.
In March 2020 we were busy running our training camps in Mallorca, this was our 10th year of running camps and we were looking forward to our best year yet! Then within 24 hours everything changed.
Since then we have been busy working with our athletes, providing our coaching services as well as some online virtual events to keep everyone motivated. In the light of COVID-19 and the enormous changes that Brexit will bring, we have also been working hard preparing our business for 2021.
We wanted to update you with where we are so far in this process. We have had to make some important changes to the Challenge Tri Camp business to ensure that we comply not only with the UK and Spanish COVID-19 regulations, but also meet the requirements as a non European organisation operating in a European country.
So lets look first at what the requirements are for COVID-19 compliance for training camp delivery in Mallorca. We have spent the last few months in consultation with the local authorities in Mallorca, as well as our hotel partner and have also sought advice from the local health authority.
Our camps are delivered from the Viva Blue Hotel and Spa in Playa De Muro and we have worked extremely closely with our hotel partner to ensure both our guests and staff safety, with online check in facilities, sanitising stations and numerous social distancing measures throughout the hotel facilities to ensure everyone’s well being.
We have already organised all our pool slots and bike station arrangements for 2021, and we are very lucky that in 2021 the hotel will not run at full capacity which will allow the COVID-19 compliance requirements to be fully met. We believe this is an absolute key point for our training camp delivery in 2021 and also believe we are one of only a handful of training camp organisations worldwide who are able to offer this.
The Spanish COVID-19 regulations are different to those in the UK, and within Mallorca they are different again, for example masks have to worn at all times in any public space (unless exercising or eating/drinking).
Smoking has been completely banned in public places. They have also introduced their own ‘bubble’ law, which means that groups from different households of greater than 10 are not allowed, meaning that camps with numbers greater than 10 run from villas and private homes will be unlawful, as managing groups larger than 10 would be almost impossible in that setting.
We have been able to work with our hotel to ensure that our groups can be split so that we are compliant with the current regulations. We have introduced new coaching measures to ensure all our athletes are safe and that we work within all of the national COVID-19 regulations, we have also arranged for local testing if needed.
Our newly introduced specific COVID-19 booking and cancellation policy for new 2021 bookings means that if we have to cancel a camp due to COVID-19 or if government regulations do not allow you to travel we will refund your camp payment in full, so you can book with confidence.
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Brexit adds another complication to the mix! The withdrawal agreement has been in place since January 2020, so we have known for sometime that our right to travel and work in Europe as UK citizens would change come 1st January 2021.
This obviously has a huge impact for any UK organisation providing services, including camps, in a European country. Challenge Tri Camp have, during this transition period, made changes to our business to allow us to work legally in Spain.
I suppose the best way to think about this change is that in the UK, foreign companies and individuals are not allowed to work in the UK without the correct work permits and insurance, or they must be a UK resident.
This will now apply in Europe for UK citizens. The current rights of UK citizens to work in any European country from 1st of Jan 2021 will change and we will no longer have the automatic right to work, or deliver services in a European country.
What does this mean for you? The two main issues are legality of operation and insurance cover. Challenge Tri Camp have always been fully insured to provide coaching services to our athlete guests and we will continue to do so.
You can be confident that Challenge Tri Camp are operating legally and fully compliant, which means that our insurance will be valid, unlike any organisation who is not legally compliant to operate. This is a very important consideration when booking your training camp for 2021 and beyond. We are all too aware that many camp providers are not insured and athletes should be very wary of this issue.
We have also undertaken the process to achieve our TIE Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero. The TIE certifies the legal permanence of foreigners in Spain, their identification and that it has been granted, in accordance with current regulations.
Challenge Tri Camp have been lucky to have built some very strong relationships with our local suppliers and within the community as a whole in Mallorca. Our 10 years of working on the island has meant that we have been able to enlist the support of this community in preparing for 2021 and we thank them for working with us to ensure the safety and well being of our athletes.
We are certain that in the coming months there will be more changes which we will embrace and build into our delivery model. You can also be sure that Challenge Tri Camp will continue to deliver our training camps in a safe and professional manner with the athlete experience at the heart of everything we do.
Happy to answer any questions about our COVID-19 measures and Brexit compliance, just drop an email to helen@challengetricamp.co.uk
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