High school sports tournaments, such as this weekend’s Delta “Super Saturday” basketball finals, are back on, but the gym bleachers are going to remain empty.
On Friday, the B.C. Ministry of Education unveiled Provincial Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-to-12 Settings for sports tournaments to proceed, paving the way for the winter sports championship season to wrap-up over the next five weeks.
The guidelines include the continuation of not allowing external spectators indoors and providing virtual viewing opportunities if possible.
The news comes after Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry paused all sports tournaments back on Dec. 20, although individual games were allowed to continue. Henry then lifted that health order on for community sports on Feb. 1, but the Ministry of Education kept the ban on tournaments in place until now.
“We’re happy that tournaments are back on as that means a lot for (upcoming) zone events. We will go back to the traditional way we do things which is nice. Unfortunately it’s (still) no spectators and it wouldn’t surprise me if those restrictions were not changed before the basketball season ends,” said B.C. School Sports vice-president Brent Sweeney, a teacher and volunteer coach at South Delta Secondary.
“So hopefully you will be looking at spectators being allowed at provincials, but not for those games at schools because we’re still restricting the number of visitors coming in.”
The Delta Basketball League can now proceed with its usual playoff tournament format for Grade 8, Grade 9 and Junior teams, which start today (Feb. 7). It will culminate with the boys and girls Grade 8, Grade 9 and Junior championship games being played this Saturday (Feb. 12) at Delview Secondary in North Delta.
Senior boys and girls basketball teams are wrapping up their league schedules this week before proceeding to the South Fraser playoffs, which are also a tournament setting in the various tiers with typically the highest seeded team hosting the games.
The provincial senior basketball championships for girls and boys will take place next month at the Langley Events Centre. Sweeney will be surprised if the ban on spectators continues given it’s a non-school venue that has shown it has safely hosted large events over the past couple of years. Ticket revenue would also be needed to cover the cost of the tournaments, including the venue rental.
“I think (Ministry of Education) already had a taste of the anger that exists if they didn't allow spectators into the provincials,” added Sweeney, referring to the initial backlash when the tournament ban continued, including an online petition that garnered over 13,000 signatures. “The LEC is a private building and they have rules to follow for those big events with protocols in place ensuring everyone is safe. It really wouldn't make sense to prevent spectators just because it's a high school game.”
