Indiana University Athletic Director Scott Dolson said progress is being made toward getting Big Ten athletes back in competition.
Dolson told the Bloomington Rotary Club in a Zoom meeting Tuesday that the Committee of the Chancellors and Presidents of the conference made the decision to call off fall sports because of uncertainties about COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and the residual effects of heart issues caused by the disease.
“Even in the time period since we postponed, there has been significant progress, which is great news," he said.
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Dolson said significant progress in the reliability and access of rapid response testing, and progress on cardiac issues from appropriate testing and diagnostics, are moving the conference closer to an athletics restart.
“I'm optimistic we can get playing again," he said. "It’s not if, it’s just when."
But he won’t speculate about the when. He said there is no decision on restarting and he would not offer a date he’s not sure of. He said presidents will continue to take guidance from Big Ten medical experts.
Dolson said though the lack of fall sports is costing athletic departments money, only health and safety factors, and not financial ones, will drive the decision.
This story has been updated.
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