Baseball Canada has cancelled all of its national championships including one in Lloydminster set for this summer.
The organization announced on April 23 that the U13 National Western Championship scheduled for August 20 to 23 in the Border City has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten other national tournaments across the country planned for this year were also called off.
It includes:
- Baseball Canada Cup in Fort McMurray, AB (August 5 – 9)
- 13U National Championship in Windsor, ON (August 27 – 30)
- 13U National Atlantic Championship in St. John’s, NL (September 17 – 20)
- Ray Carter Cup in Okotoks, AB (August 27 – 30)
- 16U Girls Invitational in Summerside, PEI (August 27 – 30)
- 18U Championship in London, ON (August 20 – 23)
- 21U Men’s Championship in Gatineau, QC (August 20 – 23)
- 21U Women’s Invitational in Sherbrooke, QC (August 6 – 9)
- Men’s Championship in Sydney, NS (August 27 – 30)
- Women’s Invitational in Stonewall, MB (August 20 – 23)
Baseball Canada President Jason Dickson says the health and safety of the people involved in the events are the organization’s main priority.
“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. 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 says decision does not mean the cancellation of the baseball season in the country and individual provincial members will decide the course of their seasons and tournaments on their own. The organization will also be contacting the communities involved with the tournaments to discuss future hosting opportunities.