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Canada West cancels fall sports due to COVID-19

B.C. student athletes at seven universities impacted by cancellation, more cancellations possible
Ben Lypka
Ben Lypka
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Canada West has officially cancelled all fall sports in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada West fall sports have officially been cancelled.

The organization made the announcement on Monday morning, meaning that there will be no competition in football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s rugby 15s and women’s field hockey during the first term of the 2020-21 season.

All of the decisions announced Monday were ratified unanimously through a vote of Canada West’s 17 member universities on Friday.

Additional decisions on whether first term conference championships scheduled for men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s swimming will be made by July 15th following further exploration around feasibility.

The decision to cancel first term competition in team sports also impacts men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s volleyball, along with men’s and women’s basketball. The aforementioned sports traditionally span both the first and second terms, but conference play in these sports will commence no sooner than January 2021, with a decision on the matter being made by Oct. 8.

Whether second term competitions (men’s and women’s wrestling, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s curling, and women’s rugby 7s) are staged will also be made by the same October 8th deadline.

Canada West’s announcement came on the same day as both Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced their own first term cancellations, which were made independently by each conference’s Board of Directors.

These cancellations and delays impact B.C. student athletes at UFV, UBC, UBCO, TRU, TWU, UVIC and UNBC.

Steve Tuckwood, director of athletics and campus recreation at the University of the Fraser Valley, stated that in order to mitigate impacts to student-athletes in Canada West sports, UFV will honour athletic financial aid commitments made to them for the 2020-21 season.

“We understand that today’s news is devastating for our student-athletes, who have worked hard towards maximizing their potential in preparation for the fall,” Tuckwood said. “We’re proud of the adaptability they have shown in pursuit of excellence in their academics and their athletic training throughout this COVID-19 physical distancing period, and we empathize with them at this difficult time.

“Canada West has made this decision with the best interests of student-athletes at heart, and we understand the need to give these student athletes certainty as they look ahead and plan for the fall.”

More to come.

Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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