What do fitness and sports insurance policies cover?

December 11, 2020

Businesses that provide services for the health of others carry unique risks and it is essential for them to have the right insurance.

Fitness and sports insurance policies cover the risk associated with fitness-related services, for example, injuries, falls or misconduct etc. Fitness and sports insurance is a must for any fitness or sports-related business to protect you from liability should an accident occur or someone claim that they were injured or their property was damaged due to their negligence. With the proper insurance you will be financially protected from the cost of lawsuits and liability claims.

What does fitness and sports insurance cover?

There are several main types of fitness and sports insurance including professional liability insurance, commercial general liability insurance and product liability insurance.

Commercial general liability insurance

Commercial general liability insurance covers the costs associated with injuries and property damage. It also covers participant-to-participant and tenants legal liability. For example, a slip-and-fall would be covered by commercial general liability insurance.

Professional liability insurance

Also known as errors and omissions insurance, professional liability insurance protects you from liability for failing to deliver services and from negligence, misconduct and malpractice.

Product liability insurance

Product liability insurance covers liability for products you provide to clients, sell or manufacture.

Additional types of sports and fitness insurance

Sport accident insurance

Sport accident insurance covers coaches, managers, trainers, officials and all other participants and pays for their medical bills in case of injury.

Business contents and equipment

This type of coverage would help you replace items owned by your business should they be damaged by an insured loss.

More options for specific sports and fitness businesses

Some insurers offer various forms of sports and fitness coverage in addition to the standard insurance. These can include:

• Loss of documents
• Unintentional breach of confidentiality
• Slander and libel
• Copyright infringement
• Unintentional failure to refer to a healthcare service provider
• Good Samaritan coverage

What is not covered by fitness and sports insurance policies?

It is important to note that not all fitness and sports insurance policies insure damage to your property or any injuries you sustain and may be focused on third party liability (injury or property damage to others) unless you obtain additional insurance to cover these scenarios.

Most fitness and sports insurance policies also won’t cover minors, professional athletes, and some types of exercise, usually those with aquatic or aerial components.