Another staple on the Vancouver Island sporting calendar has been postponed due to COVID-19.
The women’s rugby sevens tournament hosted out at Westhills Stadium in Langford will not be played as scheduled.
World Rugby announced Friday morning that the Langford tournament, along with the men’s rugby sevens stops in Paris and London were to be postponed until further notice.
“Hosting one of only two stand-alone women’s events on the World Series is a point of pride for Rugby Canada – we are disappointed to have to postpone, but also realize that the health and welfare of players, coaches, officials, fans and volunteers must always be our top priority,” said Rugby Canada in a press release.
The tournament is one that many Vancouver Island sport-enthusiasts circle on the calendar each year with the event hosting thousands of fans over the two-day tournament. For those looking forward to this year’s event, Rugby Canada hinted that the postponement may be longer rather than short-lived.
“There may not be available time between the 2020 Olympic Games and the start of the 2020/21 World Series to re-schedule our event. We are working with World Rugby on options, but are also already looking forward to returning to Langford next May,” said the statement.
At this time, the Olympic Games slated for Tokyo, Japan in August have yet to be cancelled.
“As we navigate our way through this evolving and unprecedented situation, we thank you for your patience and understanding. We recognize the commitment you made to this event, and are committed to coming back bigger and better in 2021! But for now rugby, like every other sport, rightly takes a break so we can all focus on ensuring the health and welfare of our family, friends and fellow citizens,” said Rugby Canada.
There is an Olympic Games repechage qualification tournament scheduled for June that is “under review,” according to World Rugby, but it won’t matter for the Canadian clubs as both men’s and women’s sevens teams have already qualified.
The postponements means there are no more men’s or women’s sevens tournaments on the schedule in advance of the Olympics.
Graham Cox
