The University Athletic Association Presidents Council has unanimously approved a resolution to cancel all formal UAA spring sport competition for the 2020-21 season.
Since early last summer various UAA committees comprising athletic administrators, vice presidents and deans, faculty athletics representatives, athletic trainers, and others have met on a regular basis to consider how UAA sport competition might take place as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect UAA campuses, their communities, and the nation. Previously, those deliberations resulted in the cancellation of formal UAA competition in all fall and winter sports sponsored by the UAA.
As those discussions shifted to consideration of spring sport competition, it has remained clear that the following unresolved issues continue to have undue impact on the ability of member institutions to pursue competition within the UAA:
- Current institutional travel limitations;
- Local and state travel quarantine restrictions;
- Local restrictions on the size of group gatherings and hosting on-campus events; and
- Contingency planning to provide care for individuals who test positive or become symptomatic while traveling.
These issues present challenges that our member institutions still cannot reasonably expect to resolve in a manner that would facilitate an acceptable level of risk mitigation for student-athletes, coaches, officials, staff and others involved in the conduct of UAA spring sport competition.
This resolution applies only to those sports for which the UAA sponsors competition during the spring season — baseball, golf, softball, outdoor track and field, and tennis. Member institutions will still be able to engage in practice and other non-UAA competition, including informal competition against other UAA teams, as their respective institutions deem appropriate.
While the UAA will have no formal conference play, a determination regarding the feasibility of intercollegiate competition for Emory’s spring sports (baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field) is ongoing and will be made by the university at a later date.