Add two soccer games to the growing list of sporting events that have been affected because of health concerns from smoky skies in B.C.’s Southern Interior.
On Thursday, Canada West announced that two university men’s soccer games in Kamloops and Kelowna this Saturday are being postponed due to poor air quality. Thompson Rivers University was scheduled to play Fraser Valley in Kamloops at 1 p.m., while UBC Okanagan was scheduled to host Trinity Western in Kelowna at 3 p.m.
On Sunday, Trinity Western is scheduled to play Thompson Rivers in Kamloops at 1 p.m., while Fraser Valley will visit Kelowna and UBCO at 3 p.m. Both those games are still on, but face the possibility they could also be postponed.
This past weekend, in Kelowna, the annual Apple Triathlon was cancelled due to smoky skies and a 10-plus rating on the provincial air quality health index (AQHI). A rating of 1-3 on the AQHI is a low health risk, while 10-plus is at the top of the charts, rated as a very high health risk.
Also the annual Kelowna Dragonboat Festival, slated to take place this weekend, was cancelled because of projected smoky skies.
As of Thursday afternoon, air quality in Kamloops was rated as 10+ on Environment Canada’s air quality health index, while air quality in Kelowna was rated as 10.
According to Canada West, its board of directors approved a new air quality policy earlier this week, which recommends that members postpone a match if the AQHI is seven or greater.
Saturday’s games in Kamloops and Kelowna are the latest Canada West games to be postponed due to air quality concerns. Earlier Thursday, the Victoria-UNBC games scheduled for Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25 in Prince George were postponed.
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