USATF Partners With BD To Provide Rapid COVID-19 Testing To Enhance Athlete Safety At Track & Field Events

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., April 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Track & Field (USATF) and BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, have partnered to provide rapid COVID-19 testing for USATF athletes at Journey to Gold meets to help get USATF professional athletes back to competition safely through the use of the BD Veritor™ Plus system.

"Providing USATF athletes a safe place to compete is always our top priority but during a pandemic, we needed to find a partner that could provide rapid COVID-19 testing expertise in order to give our athletes peace of mind as they focus on competing," said USATF CEO Max Siegel. "Partnering with BD will give our athletes confidence that they can focus on doing their best on the field of play."

BD Veritor™ Plus is a portable, rapid and easy-to-use point-of-care antigen test that detects SARS-CoV-2 – the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 – with a simple, digital display. By providing results in just 15 minutes, this test will help ensure the safety of our country's fastest and strongest track and field athletes, their coaches, event organizers and other personnel. 

"BD is committed to helping people around the world get back on track with their normal lives as soon as possible, which includes providing a safe environment for athletic competitions," said Dave Hickey, president of Life Sciences for BD. "As the official COVID-19 testing partner of USA Track and Field, we're excited to be supporting these world-class athletes – as well as event organizers and other personnel – as they get back on the track and compete to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials."

Testing to Keep the Athletes Safe
As the official COVID-19 testing partner of USATF, tests using the BD Veritor™ Plus System will be conducted at multiple events throughout the Journey to Gold – Tokyo Outdoor Track & Field Series to help keep athletes safe as they seek to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. For the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, USATF requires pre-travel testing. Athletes, coaches, officials, agents, medical and meet management staff and others will then be tested every two days throughout the Trials using BD Veritor's COVID-19 rapid antigen test and will also be subject to additional PCR tests. The testing will be administered for USATF by Premier Medical Group USA, a third-party provider that manages end-to-end testing.

The USATF COVID-19 safety plan exceeds all U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) guidelines.

BD's partnership with USATF is part of the company's overarching commitment to helping get people back to their normal lives as soon as possible. Ensuring people have a fast and reliable way to determine their COVID-19 status is critical to slowing the spread of the disease while helping people return to the activities they've been missing.

USATF is also committed to protecting the welfare of its constituents, fans and stakeholders during this unprecedented time. The USATF COVID-19 Working Group of medical, scientific and industry experts, which advises on matters related to COVID-19, receives regular updates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the USOPC and other U.S. professional sports leagues. Based on this information, the Working Group provides guidance and recommendations on health, wellness and safety matters, and information from USATF staff on competitive logistical matters. See more at usatf.org/covid19.

Through the first two Journey to Gold meets, 410 COVID-19 tests have already been administered, with two positive results. Thousands of additional tests will be administered, delivering on USATF and BD's commitment to athlete and community safety.

Fans can follow along with #JourneyToGold, #TrackFieldTrials20 and #USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook.

About USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country's No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.

About BD Veritor™ Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2
The BD Veritor™ Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Assay has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use by authorized laboratories. The test has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and the test is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner. For more information on the BD Veritor™ system, please visit bdveritor.com.

About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company); USA Track & Field