OHSAA Suspends Winter Sports Tournaments
In a social media post released by the OHSAA today, the governing body for sports in the state of Ohio has elected to postpone the rest of the winter sports season which has reached its pinnacle for hundreds of athletes still participating in tournament action.
The post reads as follows:
Those affected in our coverage area will be several wrestlers, Upper Sandusky boy's basketball who would be playing Lima Shawnee at Bowling Green State University in the D2 Regional Semifinals and the Lucas Cubs who advanced to the D4 Regional Championship at Canton to face Richmond Heights.
The NCAA and NBA have also taken similar action to suspend play until further notice.
A press release sent out by the OHSAA reads as follows:
COLUMBUS, Ohio – At 12:45 p.m. Thursday, the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced that all remaining winter tournament contests are immediately postponed due to the growing situation with the coronavirus COVID-19.
The suspended tournaments include the girls state basketball tournament; the state individual wrestling tournament; the state ice hockey tournament, and the boys regional and state basketball tournaments.
“We will use this time to work with the appropriate state authorities and health experts to determine our next steps moving forward,” Snodgrass said. “We realize this is disappointing for our participants and their fans, but the overall health and safety of everyone involved in our tournaments is our priority.”
No timetable has been determined for possible rescheduling for the tournaments.
The announcement was made after state and local officials recommended that no public gatherings take place to help stop the spread of the virus.
The OHSAA will send further updates regarding ticket refunds.