Key takeaways:
- For the 2nd year in a row, COVID-19 is causing a growing number of Saskatchewan event organisers to reconsider their plans.
- Most indoor events are moved to March or April as part of the event, which aims to get people out during the coldest months of the year.
For the 2nd year in a row, a growing number of Saskatchewan event organizers are considering changing their plans due to COVID-19.
The Saskatchewan Winter Games in Regina and the Knights of Columbus Indoor Games in Saskatoon were canceled last week.
The Knights of Columbus Indoor Games President said it’s frustrating to cancel yet again, but he’s convinced they made the right call in the final hours.
“We wanted to accumulate as much data as we could because it was looking like we might not be capable of making it work,” Gil Wist told CTV News.
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The games would’ve been in their 56th edition, with the 2021 edition also being canceled. Over 1,000 athletes, including those from elementary schools, high schools, universities, and 25 international participants from the US and the Caribbean, were notified of the cancellation.
Meanwhile, 1,800 athletes were affected by the cancellation of the Saskatchewan Winter Games.
Winterruption was supposed to start on January 26 in Saskatoon and Regina, but organizers had to change their plans.
The event, which aims to get people out throughout the coldest months of the year, moves most indoor events to March or April. Still, several outdoor venues will remain open on the usual January days.
“It’s a little heartbreaking each time we have to make that decision,” said Aryn Otterbein, interim executive director of the Broadway Theatre. “We’ve noticed with the events we’ve been hosting that the appetite is there, and also people want to get back to arts and culture and community events.”
Brent Butt, a stand-up comedian from Prince Albert, announced that his show at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on January 23 had been rescheduled for June.
The Regina Symphony Orchestra has rescheduled concerts for January and February, whereas the Saskatoon Symphony has canceled its Disney Frozen performance scheduled for the end of January.
Some of the events are still unfolding. The Crop Production Show kicked off at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on Monday. COVID-19 protocols, such as mandatory masking as well as proof of immunizations or negative test results, are detailed on the event website for those attending.
The Winter Knockout Cheerleading Championships will take place on Saturday. Still, there will be strict spectator limits in place and other protocols such as mandatory masking for all competitors.
