CHESHIRE, Conn. — The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference announced that it was postponing the winter season of high school sports pending review by the state Department of Health.
The organization oversees high school sports wants the delay to determine whether or how to move forward with a winter sports season as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state continues to rise.
The organization tweeted:
The CIAC notified member schools this afternoon that the scheduled November 21st START to the winter season has been postponed pending the review of forthcoming guidance from the CT Department of Public Health.
The DPH guidance will be reviewed and serve to inform the CIAC winter sports plan including any possible modifications to allow for safe participation. On November 17th the CIAC Board of Control is expected to consider a new start date for winter sports.
In September, the CIAC has reaffirmed it's decision earlier in the month to cancel full contact football for the 2020-2021 school year.
The action left the door open for local school systems to participate in football clubs or play later in the school year. Some schools, such as ones in Meriden did play.
They said, "Schools, with approval from their local DPH, may opt to play full contact football as a “club” sport, similar to girls ice hockey, without adherence to CIAC COVID mitigating plans."
CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini said, "We've exhausted all the potential strategies for mitigating risk."
The Connecticut Department of health has recommended substituting “higher risk” athletic activities with “moderate risk” or “lower risk” options and /or postponing those activities to a later time.
