UCLA athletics welcomes fans back for indoor events

Fans are about to be welcomed back for UCLA indoor athletic competition, and just in time.

It means the ninth-ranked men’s basketball team will be able to host sixth-ranked Arizona with fans (and a rowdy student section) on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion after the athletic department made the announcement late Friday.

“Starting tonight, all fans are once again welcome to attend indoor competitions on campus,” the announcement read via Twitter. “While we’re excited to welcome fans back, all spectators must continue to wear a face mask when not actively eating or drinking. Failure to comply with wearing a face mask may result in future competitions without fans.”

The last time Pauley Pavilion welcomed fans was for a Dec. 1 game against Colorado. There were 7,941 in attendance. Since then, all men’s and women’s basketball games have been limited to family members of players or coaches only.

The men’s team lost an overtime game to Oregon last week with no student section or fans in attendance, just a handful of family members.

UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin will be glad to hear fans are back in time for another much-anticipated Pac-12 Conference game Tuesday night.

“… I think it’s hugely demoralizing to our guys to play games in an empty arena and there’s 80,000 people at the Rams game,” Cronin told reporters via Zoom on Tuesday.

In accordance with updated health guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), regarding COVID-19, UCLA Athletic indoor events will require all fans (ages 2 and older) in attendance to show proof of their fully-vaccinated status or one of the following: Antigen Test administered within one day of the event or a PCR Test administered within two days of the event.

COVID Clinic will be on-site to provide rapid testing for event attendees at select Pauley Pavilion events, including men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and gymnastics competitions.