In what was a likely inevitability because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but now the high school sports season has been officially cut short.
The Alberta Schools Athletic Association made the announcement Wednesday and said in following the advice of Alberta Health, they concluded that even if schools were to open before the end of the school year, there was no scenario where championships could be held for the rest the 2019-20 school year.
“The safety of student-athletes and those attending ASAA athletic events as well as those loved ones they may subsequently associate with remain a focus as we arrived at this decision and make plans for the 2020-2021 school and athletic year,” said ASAA President George Hoyt.
The cancellation effects handball, soccer, badminton, rugby and Track and Field, all of which were spring sports.
Hoyt also said there’s no telling on what next year will hold, which some school sports programs starting as early as Aug. 16. He noted that will be discussed by the ASAA board in June, but it is their intention to return to some normalcy by then.
“The ASAA looks forward to school sports returning as an integral component of the fabric of our great province in the fall,” he said.