Some B.C. combat sport studios stay open as gyms close due to COVID-19

Editor’s note: CityNews has since received a statement from the Ministry of Health which says “boxing fitness centres” are covered by the public health order and are required to close. It’s unclear whether Contenders was given different information. Updated story here. 

January is typically a boon for companies in the business of helping people get fit. While gyms and fitness centres have been ordered closed under B.C. health orders, it appears some boxing and other combat sports have remained open, with confusion around whether the measures apply to them.

The owner of a Vancouver boxing studio who thought the latest B.C. COVID-19 restrictions were going to keep the studio closed says he found out that since boxing is a sport, the studio was allowed to open.

Kevin Reynolds says Contenders boxing studio moved to virtual classes on Dec. 23 after new rules announced shortly before Christmas ordered gyms to close down.

“We are thrilled to announce that after reviewing the current PHO and after consulting with our partners at the YWCA we have been classified as sport, and since sport is allowed to continue, we have been given the go-ahead to resume classes,” the studio posted to Instagram Thursday.

Classes resumed on Tuesday.

 

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A post shared by Vancouver Boxing Gym (@contendersboxingstudio)

The news came as a big relief, since the pandemic has been — as it has for many other companies — really bad for the studio’s business.

“We’re right in the downtown course. Most of our [clients are] office workers and the offices have been dead,” Reynolds explained.

Reynolds says his business has introduced several measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including reducing in-person class capacity to 50 per cent. He says that reduced capacity is staying in place, despite it not being mandated by the province.

“People need to exercise for their mental health as much as their physical health,” he said.

In November, before the Omicron COVID-19 variant began to rapidly spread, Reynolds saw business starting to pick up again.

“It was definitely coming back … There was some real upswing in it. And then Omicron hit, and it just kind of cranked back down.”

Related video: B.C. introduces more COVID restrictions ahead of holiday season

The studio, which first opened in 2005, typically runs boxing-specific programs in addition to ones geared more towards people who are particularly looking to improve their fitness. Reynolds says while the ones geared towards the boxing crowd will keep operating, the fitness-based ones are on hold until at least Jan. 18 when the current B.C. COVID-19 measures expire.

Since about half of its business were from fitness classes held during the weekday lunch hour, Reynolds has had to turn the studio’s hours and scheduling upside down.

“Our business has really shifted focus to nighttime and teaching people who really want to learn boxing.”

Given his studio’s previous reliance on people coming in for a workout during their lunch breaks from their jobs in Downtown Vancouver, Reynolds doesn’t expect business to return to pre-pandemic levels until offices fill up again.

“Fifty per cent of our business is the downtown crowd. And that really hasn’t returned … January was supposed to be the big return to downtown, but that’s been pushed back.”

Related Articles:

• B.C. gym owners hoping for quick reopening in New Year

• Gym openly defying public health order on fitness centres

More than 40,000 signatures have been collected on a change.org petition calling for the province to reconsider its order for fitness centres to close.

“The decision to close fitness centres without consideration for any sort of additional options is both erroneous and a disservice to the community that has obeyed the Provincial Health orders without pause. Rather than a knee-jerk reaction, the province should work with the industry to explore alternative measures,” the petition reads in part.

Reynolds backs the petition.

“I have many friends own gyms and it doesn’t seem fair in any shape. Why can I teach a martial arts gym or a boxing gym … And then I can’t go to the gym and do some weights?” he said, adding the caveat that he believes all facilities should be required to have reduced capacities.

“We’ve all gone through so many measures, like spacing people out, reducing our sizes, sanitizing, all this stuff that we’ve done for you for about two years. Why can’t we all be open in some capacity?”

The provincial health order issued Dec. 22, 2021 states “An adult must not participate in exercise or fitness in a workout gym or fitness facility on either an individual or group basis.”

The rules, however, do not apply to high-performance athletes.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix was asked on New Year’s Eve about criticism to the recent health orders and said the province did not make these decisions lightly.

– With files from Claire Fenton