Cancelled: 45th National Youth Track and Field Championships

OTTAWA, March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships have been cancelled for the second year in a row, due to the pandemic. The 2021 event was originally scheduled to take place in Sherbrooke, Quebec from August 6-8.

"We know it is disappointing for many youth and coaches who have continued to train and anticipated that perhaps the games could go ahead this year," says Dominion President Thomas D. Irvine, CD. "Unfortunately, we had to make this decision since we remain in the midst of a pandemic and the safety of all participants is our priority."

Event partners have been made aware of the joint decision by the Legion's Sports Committee and the Dominion Executive Council, to hold off for another year.

"It is with great sadness that we decided to cancel, however it's our responsibility to protect our youth," says Brian Weaver, Dominion Vice President and Sports Committee Chair. "We knew they might be some of the last to be vaccinated, and large gatherings are still not advised or permitted. We sincerely thank all of our Provincial Commands, our sporting partner organizations and communities across Canada for their collaboration to date."

The annual sporting event attracts 700-1000 competitors in the under 16 and under 18 categories and is the only youth national track and field championships of its kind in Canada. Athletes compete in a wide range of running, jumping and throwing events.

Chosen cities typically host the games for two years in a row and next year's 2022 Legion Nationals are scheduled to take place in Sherbrooke, Quebec as well. Due to two years of cancellation, Sherbrooke will host the following:

• 2022: Sherbrooke, QC, 3-9 August 2022 (competition dates: 5-7 Aug)
• 2023: Sherbrooke, QC, 9-15 August 2023 (competition dates: 11-13 Aug)

More information about the Legion Nationals can be found at LegionNationals.ca.

More information related to the pandemic situation and the Legion's response can be found on our COVID-19 page.

About The Royal Canadian Legion
Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada's largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With close to 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.

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