Play sport, will travel

Sport at every level has an international aspect these days, with teams and individuals travelling far and wide to compete in tournaments.

Global broadcast rights and big brand sponsorship may have turned international events like rugby’s RBS 6 Nations into massive media events, but amateurs are willing to go the extra mile to test themselves as well.

Murray Anderson, Syndicate Underwriter at Lloyd’s specialist Sportscover, says amateur teams from right across the sporting spectrum have caught the travel bug.

“An excellent example of this is Touch Football. In June 2011 the Touch Football World Cup was held in Scotland. The first of these in 1988 had five countries attend – in 2011 there were 26 countries,” he told lloyds.com.

No drop in demand

The economic downturn has barely dented the appetite for international sports touring, Anderson says: “We have not seen a major drop in tours. Sport will still raise money for these trips. The trips may be shorter, or have fewer attendees, but people still want to attend training camps and competitions.”

Sportscover provides travel insurance for both amateur and professional sports, with the emphasis on popular amateur sports, such as cycling. “We are heavily involved at an amateur level around the world and because of that we also insure a number of professional cyclists involved in some of the major tours,” Anderson says.

A touring team typically needs insurance for medical expenses (including emergency assistance), cancellation and delay, personal liability and baggage. 

The most obvious risk is a participant being injured while playing their sport, yet some general insurers writing travel policies exclude claims arising from playing the sport. “That does make life a bit difficult – playing sport and breaking your arm in the US is something you need covered!” Anderson says. “Medical expenses outside of Europe are increasing rapidly so ensuring your policy covers medical while playing is important.”

Repatriation is another important issue. Teams travelling to or from Australia, for example, might have to send a player back home in the event of a major injury, which can be very expensive. Sometimes, Anderson says, it is cheaper to pay a higher class of airfare to get them home rather than paying the daily cost of a stay in hospital.

Back-up plan

Injury can cause an added problem for the pro teams that Sportscover insures. “A professional team could have a bad run of injuries, with two players in the same position being badly injured and sent home,” Anderson explains. “They need to call up another player and this contingency can be covered by insurance.”

One of the less obvious risks for amateurs to watch out for relates to the use of rental cars. Touring teams often hire minibuses to get themselves around and rental car ‘excesses’ can be extremely high. “We’re able to provide cover in case they have an accident and cannot recover the excess imposed by the rental firm,” Mr Anderson says.

Whether it is bowls or darts, anyone taking part in an overseas sports tour needs travel insurance. But some sports are harder – and more expensive – to insure than others: “Any sports with an impact issue – whether that be a sport such as rugby or basketball where players impact each other, through to cycling where impact is with the road,” Mr Anderson says. “Risk of injury is of course substantially higher in these sports.”