Racegoers could be returning to Scottish tracks next month

Racegoers in Scotland could be allowed back at tracks from the middle of next month with restricted numbers in attendance.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Thursday that sports stadiums in Scotland could reopen to fans from September 14.

She stressed it would be for "a limited number of spectators and with strict physical distancing in place".

Scottish government officials had been working on a plan to partially open Musselburgh to the public at the meeting next Wednesday, but that has now been ruled out.

Bill Farnsworth, Musselburgh chief executive, said: "We simply ran out of time with plans for our meeting on August 26 and pulled stumps on that idea yesterday."

Sturgeon warned that plans could change if Scotland saw an upsurge in cases of Covid 19.

She said: "Given the volatility of the virus, there is the very real possibility that some, or all, of these plans could change.

"With that significant caveat, we hope that sports stadiums will be able to reopen from September 14 – but only for a limited number of spectators and with strict physical distancing in place.

"Some professional sports events might be arranged for spectators before then with Scottish government agreement to test the safety of any new arrangements."

There will be no racegoers on tracks in England before October 1 under government plans, although racecourses are aiming to have spectators on site as part of trials for the reopening of venues.

A trial for 5,000 spectators on the final day of Glorious Goodwood was called off at the last minute due to an increase in the Covid-19 infection rate.

Doncaster's St Leger meeting starting on September 9 and Newmarket's Cambridgeshire meeting, which begins on September 24, are among the options being considered for pilot events.

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