Spruce Meadows announces cancellation of 2020 Masters show jumping tournament

Officials at Spruce Masters announced on Tuesday the decision had been made to cancel the 2020 Masters Tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual show jumping event sees the world’s best horses and riders compete, and was scheduled to run Sept. 9-13.

In a Tuesday news release, Spruce Meadows said the decision was made with “heavy hearts,” acknowledging the decision will impact Calgary’s local economy.

“This is particularly true as it relates to the 560 full-time jobs, the $45 million in wages and the nearly $90 million in tourism-related economic activity that are attributed to the Spruce Meadows International Show Jumping season,” the release stated.

“In these times of global uncertainty, the health and well-being of our sponsors and their employees (many of whom have been with us for our entire history), our competitors, officials, volunteers, fans, the media, Spruce Meadows’ staff and the community at large continues to be our top priority.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "In these times of global uncertainty, the health and well-being of our sponsors and their employees (many of whom have been with us for our entire history), our competitors, officials, volunteers, fans, the media, Spruce Meadows' staff and the community at large continues to be our top priority."

The Spruce Meadows grounds are closed to the public until further notice, but the organization said it was still marking its 45th anniversary online with a series of initiatives that will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Last month, the City of Calgary said it was cancelling all public events until the end of August due to COVID-19.