Varsity Sports SA tournaments suspended for the rest of 2020

According to statement by Varsity Sports SA, the executive committee has held numerous meetings with relevant stakeholders, including Advent Sport Entertainment and Media (ASEM), the University Sport Company (USC), University Sports South Africa (Ussa), as well as university representatives.

They all concluded that it is unlikely that there will be any normal sports events for the rest of 2020 and therefore all Varsity Sports tournaments as well.

Francois Pienaar: ‘Safety of athletes, spectators our priority’

“It is unlikely that any normal sports tournaments will take place within the next 10 months,” said former World Cup-winning Springbok captain and ASEM CEO Francois Pienaar.

“We have therefore taken a decision to suspend all our sporting activities across universities until 2021. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our athletes and spectators, while also allowing universities and schools to return to the academic year.”

Ongoing monitoring of government regulations

ASEM, in the interim, will continue to monitor government regulations and is committed to ongoing communication to take place.

“We will, however, remain ready to host certain tournaments should government regulations change regarding the hosting of sports events and academic calendars allow for tournaments to take place,” Pienaar added.

Calendar for 2021

“Our focus is to work with our commercial partners, Ussa and USC to develop the best possible calendar for 2021 and reintroduced a fresh new sporting landscape for youth sports. People remain our main priority and the health of our staff, the well-being and academic success of our athletes and supports will always be placed first,” he concluded.

During these difficult times Varsity Sports will continue raising awareness of the importance of mental health through its SpeakUp campaign.

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