The Ivy League announced Thursday that its conference spring season has been canceled due to fears over the coronavirus.
The Ivy League Council of Presidents made its decision not just over fears of the virus, though, but to comply with the stringent restrictions of campus travel, visitors, and gathering policies, as well as to comply with the various guidelines published by the colleges, ESPN reported.
“We know that this news will come as a disappointment to many in our community,” the university presidents wrote in a statement. “We regret the many sacrifices that have been required in response to the pandemic, and we appreciate the resilience of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff in the face of adversity during this difficult and unusual year. While we would like nothing better than to deliver a complete season of competition, these are the necessary decisions for the Ivy League in the face of the health concerns posed by the ongoing and dangerous pandemic.”
“We will continue to monitor the situation as we move forward so that our universities can determine whether Ivy League principles and evolving health conditions might allow for limited, local competition later this spring,” they added.
The Ivy League added that student-athletes may continue to train if they follow the restrictions posted by their schools.
The move is only the latest cancellation for the league, which last year had canceled its men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments last March and then followed that by putting an end to the 2020 fall sports schedule.
The winter schedule was canceled in November.
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