The Varsity Sports Executive Committee which includes ASEM, the University Spotrs Company and University Sports South Africa (USSA) has decided to temporarily suspend all Varsity Sports tournaments for 2020.
This is due to the current COVID-19 epedemic halted major sport events across the world. This means that Varsity Hockey, Varsity Cricket, Varsity Football, Varsity Netball and other major competitions that the NWU competes in, will not take place.
“It is unlikely that any normal sports tournaments will take place within the next 10 months,” says Francois Pienaar, ASEM CEO.
“We have therefore taken a principle 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.
“We will however remain ready to host certain tournaments should government regulations change regarding the hosting of sport events and academic calendars allow for tournaments to take place,” adds Pienaar.
ASEM will continue to monitor government regulations and is committed to ongoing communications to all stakeholders.
“Our focus now is to work with our commercial partners, USSA and the USC to develop the best possible calendar for 2021 and reintroduce a fresh new sporting landscape for youth sport. People remain our main priority and the health of our staff, the wellbeing and academic success of our athletes and supporters will always be placed first,” mentions Pienaar.
Through the established SpeakUp campaign, Varsity Sports will continue to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, especially during times of crisis.
