Add the 2020 Ontario Summer Games to the lengthy list of events cancelled or postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Event organizers announced Monday that the 26th edition of the games, which were set to take place in London from July 30 to Aug. 2, had been officially pushed back a year to 2021 as a result of restrictions imposed due to COVID-19.
In a statement, the London Games Organizing Committee said it hoped the games would go forward next year with the same dates, athlete participation numbers, and sports, but noted that final details were still being hammered out.
Some 3,500 people, comprised of youth athletes, their families, coaches, and other officials, were set to descend on London over the August long weekend to compete in 19 sports at 24 athletic facilities across the city.
London previously hosted the biennial games in 1975, 1996, and in 2004. It also hosted the previous Ontario Summer Games in 2018. The first Ontario Summer Games was in 1973 in Oshawa.
The 2020 games were expected to inject more than $5 million into the local economy.
Mississauga is set to host the games in 2022.
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