Ivy League Announces It Won't Hold a 2021 Spring Sports Season Due to COVID-19

There will be no Ivy League spring sports this year.

The Ivy League Council of Presidents announced on Thursday that it will not hold spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the announcement clarified that athletes can continue training and practicing with their respective schools.

What's more, there may be "limited, local competition during the spring if public health conditions improve sufficiently to allow greater levels of in-person activity at Ivy League campuses."

The Ivy League Council of Presidents released a statement explaining its decision: 

"As campus and community leaders, we believe that our public health responsibilities and educational principles preclude us from sponsoring Ivy League athletics competition this spring.  The public health measures now in effect at all Ivy League universities have been carefully designed to support our teaching and research missions while keeping our students, faculty, staff and neighboring communities safe.  These policies include restrictions on travel, limitations on campus visitors, and other pandemic related regulations that are not compatible with the Ivy League’s usual competition schedule.   In the Ivy League, these measures must apply equally to our athletics programs along with other academic and co-curricular activities.

"We know that this news will come as a disappointment to many in our community.  We regret the many sacrifices that have been required in response to the pandemic, and we appreciate the resilience of our student-athletes, coaches and staff in the face of adversity during this difficult and unusual year. While we would like nothing better than to deliver a complete season of competition, these are the necessary decisions for the Ivy League in the face of the health concerns posed by the ongoing and dangerous pandemic. We will continue to monitor the situation as we move forward so that our universities can determine whether Ivy League principles and evolving health conditions might allow for limited, local competition later this spring."

This follows a pattern for the Ivy League during the pandemic.

It canceled all winter sports and was the first conference to postpone fall sports. What's more, it also served as something of a harbinger in March 2020 when it canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments.

Other conferences eventually followed suit, and both the men's and women's NCAA tournaments were canceled. The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted sports at the professional level with seasons put on hold and both the NBA and NHL determining their champions inside a bubble-like environment.