The league’s decision could be influential for other university presidents as they consider how to handle the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first Division I conference to suspend football for the fall.
The Ivy League presidents placed all sports on hold Wednesday until at least January, making it the first Division I conference that will not play football as scheduled in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, a broad array of sports, from football and men’s basketball to cross country and sailing, have been placed in limbo. Practices could take place in the fall, beginning with limited individual and small group workouts, but conditions would have to improve dramatically for sports to be played next year.
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The presidents said in a statement that sports could not be played under campus-wide policies that include restrictions on student and staff travel, social distancing requirements and limits on group gatherings.
“With the information available to us today regarding the continued spread of the virus, we simply do not believe we can create and maintain an environment for intercollegiate athletic competition that meets our requirements for safety and acceptable levels of risk,” the statement read.
NEW YORK TIMES
