The Ivy League will not have a conference season in the spring, which means it will not host competitions or host league championships due to the “strict limitations” that remain on its campuses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the conference announced Thursday. market.
The Ivy League Council of Presidents made the decision to continue to comply with strict restrictions on campus travel, visitor and collection policies, and to follow the state guidelines that govern each campus.
“We know that this news will be a disappointment to many in our community,” wrote the university’s presidents in a joint statement released by the Ivy League. “We regret the many sacrifices that were 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. Although we do not want anything better than to deliver a complete season of competition , these are the necessary decisions for the Ivy League in the face of health concerns arising from the continuing 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 can allow for limited local competition later this spring.”
Currently enrolled student-athletes can continue training and practicing, provided they are structured according to the procedures of each school, along with state and local regulations. The Ivy League maintained its approach that was implemented for all sports in the fall of 2020.
The Ivy League was the first conference to cancel its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments last March and was the first to announce that it would not play autumn sports because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In November, the Ivy League became the first conference to announce that it would not be playing winter sports this season, and at that time certain spring sports would be postponed until at least the end of February. He also decided not to make up for last year’s autumn sports this spring.