ILLINOIS (WAND) - Youth and adult recreational basketball will not be allowed to have competitive play in new sports guidelines from the state of Illinois. 

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health announced basketball has been moved from medium to high risk due to the close contact of athletes and the fact the sport is played indoors. Hockey and wrestling are considered high risk. 

New state guidance created four levels of play allowed depending on the COVID-19 risk associated with a sport. High risk sports are only allowed level 1 competition, while medium-risk sports can compete in levels 1-2 and low-risk can compete in 1-3. 

The full list is as follows: 

  • Level 1: Only no-contact practices and training are allowed.
  • Level 2: Intra-team scrimmages are allowed with parental consent for minors but there can be no competitive play.
  • Level 3: Intra-conference, intra-EMS-region or intra-league play is allowed and there may be state- or league-championship games allowed for low-risk sports only.
  • Level 4: Tournaments, out-of-conference/league play, and out-of-state play are allowed. Championship games would also be allowed in level 4.

The state is categorizing cheer and dance as lower risk, but only if masks and social distancing are enforced. The low-risk sports of bowling, gymnastics, swimming and diving will be allowed to compete in the winter. 

State officials said the guidance impacts, but is not limited to, school-based sports, travel clubs, private leagues and clubs, recreational leagues and centers, and park district sports programs. Collegiate and professional leagues are not impacted. 

Leaders said IDPH developed the guidance while working with public health experts from around Illinois and the nation. They said it reflects "high levels of risk" associated with indoor competition and accounts for new research on COVID-19 and sports, the outbreaks related to sports in other states, and "the fact that the second wave of the pandemic is now well underway in all regions of Illinois."

“We can’t ignore what is happening around us – because without action, this could look worse than anything we saw in the spring.” said Pritzker. “It’s with that in mind that today, my administration is releasing our updated guidance for youth and adult recreational sports in Illinois ahead of the winter season. As with sports in the fall, nothing is ‘cancelled,’ just put on hold until we’re through the thick of this pandemic. We adapt as we learn. That has been our mantra throughout this pandemic, and as is true in every other facet of life, we know this virus is of most concern when people are indoors with high contact, especially in vigorous situations that bring about heavy breathing – like in wrestling, hockey and basketball. Life in a pandemic is hard for everyone, and it’s hard for all of our kids, whether or not they play sports. That doesn’t make it any easier – but we really are all in this together.”

Click here for a full list of winter safety guidelines from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.