OTTAWA — Baseball Canada has cancelled all its 2020 national championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision announced Thursday affects 11 national tournaments, from the Baseball Canada Cup, originally scheduled for Aug. 5-9 in Fort McMurray, Alta., through the U13 National Atlantic Championships from Sept. 17-20 in St. John's, N.L.
The list of scuttled events includes the Men's Championship, Aug. 27-30 in Sydney, N.S., and the Women's Invitational, Aug. 20-23, in Stonewall, Man.
The other cancelled tournaments are: U13 National Championship, Aug. 27-30, Windsor, Ont.; U13 National Western Championship, Aug. 20-23, Lloydminster, Sask.; Ray Carter Cup, Aug. 27-30, Okotoks, Alta.; U16 Girls Invitational, Aug. 27-30, Summerside, P.E.I; U18 Championship, Aug. 20-23, London, Ont.; U21 Men's Championship, Aug. 20-23, Gatineau, Que.; U21 Women's Invitational, Aug. 6-9, Sherbrooke, Que.;
Baseball Canada said in a release that the health and safety of organizers, athletes and fans was the priority in arriving at the decision.
"After extensive discussions and careful consideration among our executive committee and board of directors, we arrived at the decision to cancel all of our 2020 national championships," Baseball Canada president Jason Dickson said in a statement. "Although this decision will be disappointing to many across the Canadian baseball community, we felt it was the best decision to make given that the health and welfare of our members is paramount in these uncertain times."
Baseball Canada said individual provincial members will decide the course of their seasons and associated provincial tournaments on their own.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2020.
The Canadian Press
