Cancellations Begin Again, OCAA Pulls The Plug On All Winter Sports
It’s cancellation season again, instead of basketball or hockey season, because of a second wave of COVID-19 rapidly spreading in Ontario.
The first out of the gate was the OCAA on Thursday, with more governing bodies expected to follow suit in the coming days.
OCAA ANNOUNCES CANCELLATION OF 2020-21 WINTER VARSITY SEASON https://t.co/7VnuG508d3 pic.twitter.com/0z4JxRWi9h
— OCAA (@TheOCAA) October 15, 2020
The health of the entire OCAA membership and our participants remains our top priority, and we empathize, understand, and share the deep disappointment this especially causes for our winter sport student-athletes,” said OCAA President, Nathan McFadden in a news release. “After extensive contingency planning and collaborating with our members, the reality is that there are far too many obstacles to allow the OCAA to operate while providing a safe and quality varsity experience for our student-athletes.”
Other leagues are expected to follow in the coming days, and questions will begin to mount about the feasibility of any sports in the coming months.
In the first round of cancellations for Fall sports, the OCAA and OUA were quick to react.
Hockey leagues including the OHL, GOJHL, and PJHL followed.
With the QMJHL having to pause operations, and the OHL facing an uphill fight to include body contact, it appears all hockey will be on the shelf until at least the New Year, if COVID-19 conditions don’t change rapidly.
With the OHL as the top Hockey Canada governed league in Ontario, the trickle down of rule implications, travel issues, contact tracing, fan allowances and indoor gathering restrictions, could be insurmountable.
Continue to follow CKSN for more on this developing story.