World Youth & Junior Championships Cancelled for 2021
By Matt Stevens
The International Bowling Federation (IBF) announced last week that the World Youth and Junior Championships would not proceed for 2021 due to the ongoing challenges with COVID-19.
“We have attempted to find a solution where it would be possible to host a World Youth, and Junior, Championships this year (2021) though unfortunately, it has not been possible to find an appropriate solution” explained IBF CEO Andrew Oram. “The ongoing pandemic brings with it many challenges though the utmost priority is the safety of the athletes, organisers, volunteers, staff and all families associated with delivering a world level event”.
The event will move to June/July 2022 and will still be hosted at the original appointed venue in Helsingborg, Sweden.
Both the Junior and Youth National Training Squads were notified of the news last week via their coaches.
“More disappointing news again for our Junior and Youth NTS Athletes and Coaches. This is on top of the cancellations we had last year, adding to the list of missed opportunities” explained TBA High Performance Manager Mike Griffith. “However, we need to be strong and accept that COVID is with us. The disruptions it creates are totally out of our control, and they are likely to be interfering with events for a long time still. We need to stay safe, healthy, and hold on to the fact that we will be back to competing internationally one day soon. Let’s be prepared, and look forward to that day”.
