2020 Southern Alberta Summer Games cancelled
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cancellation of yet another long-time event – the Southern Alberta Summer Games which was scheduled for Raymond in July.
The Southern Alberta Recreation Association announced on April 2 that in light of ongoing developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and following discussions and recommendations from the host community, the games to be held July 8 to 11, 2020 in Raymond have been cancelled.
“This decision was not made lightly,” said Terra Petryshyn, chair of the Southern Alberta Recreation Association in a news release. “In the 50-year history of the games, there has never been a cancellation.”
The health and well-being of the more than 2,000 athletes, plus spectators, families, volunteers and organizers was the main factor in this difficult decision, the association said in the release. The physical, emotional and financial impacts of this pandemic put many Southern Alberta communities in very uncertain territory, and planning for a major event is just not feasible at this time.
“The Southern Alberta Recreation Association wishes to express our gratitude to the Town of Raymond for all of the planning that had already gone into preparing for the 2020 Southern Alberta Summer Games,” added Petryshyn, pointing out the association will consider the Town of Raymond for a future Southern Alberta Summer Games should they be interested in hosting.