It’s still a no-go for school sports tournaments in B.C.
While youth tournaments can resume beginning Feb. 1 following a recent update of provincial health orders to limit transmission of the COVID-19 virus, especially its highly contagious Omicron variant, a memo issued Friday (Jan. 28) by BC School Sports says the Ministry of Education has elected not to revise its guidelines for schools that bans all competitions involving more than two schools, and prohibits spectators.
Jordan Abney, the executive director of BC School Sports, said, “We are stunned by this decision, as there was a commitment made this year to ensuring club and community sport access remained equal to school sport.”
Abney said the inability of student athletes to compete at tournaments is “disheartening for everyone involved in school sport,” adding it could affect scholarship opportunities for some kids as well as erode “the long-term health and sustainability of school sport.”
The decision comes at a critical time with district and provincial championship tournaments for winter sports like basketball, wrestling, curling and gymnastics scheduled to begin in the next few weeks.
Abney said the Ministry of Education has indicated it will review its decision week-by-week, but there’s no “firm indication” whether it will brings its guidelines in line with provincial health orders.
He said, for now, none of the provincial tournaments have been cancelled and his organization will “continue to plan for these events, as well as variable contingencies that may be required.”
