University sport cancelled until 2021 Daily Gleaner (Print Edition)·Bruce Hallihan CA|June 09, 2020·08:00am Section: B·Page: B8 COVID-19 has spoiled the fall seasons for Atlantic University Sport athletes.

The AUS announced Monday afternoon the decision to suspend all conference sports due to the pandemic.

The news affects football, soccer, rugby, and .

The decision was finalized by the AUS board of directors and was reached in consultation with Canadian university sport conferences University Athletics and Canada West, as well as the national governing body, U Sports.

“It is with very heavy hearts that we make this announcement today,” AUS executive director Phil Currie said in a release. “Our thoughts are with our student-athletes, coaches and athletic department staff for whom this decision will have the biggest impact.

“We want them to know first and foremost that this decision was not taken lightly and that the number one factor driving our decision-making has been their safety and well- being,” Currie said. “We also recognize the impact this decision will have on our valued fans, corporate partners and other stakeholders. We know that they will understand and appreciate the rationale behind this, the magnitude of what we are up against and what led to this decision.”

The AUS said the move to suspend conference play was reached and supported by all 11 member schools, including the University of and St. Thomas University of Fredericton, the Université de and in Sackville.

“These are, arguably, the most significant decisions ever made in the history of Canadian university sport,” AUS president and UNB director of athletics John Richard said in a statement issued by the school.

“Never have we seen anything like this,” said Richard, who came to UNB as a student- athlete in 1991, and has remained there as a coach and an administrator since.

The Reds’ immediate focus will be to support their student-athletes, coaches and staff, he said.

“Working within the parameters established by New Brunswick’s Department of Health, we will establish a plan, in the next few months, so that teams and individuals can train,” Richard said. “We will continue to offer academic support for student-athletes, and we will strive to find ways for our student-athletes to engage with the community, something they’ve always done.”

The suspension impacts AUS conference regular-season and playoff events as well as national championship events scheduled through to the end of December.

Sports that compete in both semesters, such as hockey, , and , now must play the waiting game.

The AUS said a decision on winter term competition (beginning January 2021) will not be made until fall.

The Atlantic conference features over 2,500 student-athletes from schools located in four provinces.

If there is no national championship in a given sport, student-athletes in that sport will not consume a year of eligibility. At St. Thomas University, the men’s and women’s cross- country programs are impacted, and the women’s hockey Tommies’ season is, at least, delayed.

STU’s other teams compete in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association.

“I don’t think there’s any big surprise that we’re all really disappointed,” STU athletic director Mike Eagles said. “But we have to put the safety of our student-athletes at the forefront, and the decision was made with that in mind.

“Obviously there’s lots of implications, but we’re doing our best for the student-athletes to protect them and keep them safe. We can’t put them at undue risk.”

The Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association also cancelled its fall season Monday, but Eagles says the ACAA hasn’t finalized its plans.

“The AUS is a little bit ahead of us, but we’re kind of going through the same decision- making process,” he said. “We’re going to do our due diligence and not rush it.

“I think there’s going to be clarity in the near future,” Eagles said, adding there’s no specific date.

Mount Allison has three fall-only AUS sports teams that will be sidelined this year: football and women’s and men’s soccer.

“It’s disappointing for all of us, but it was probably coming,” said Mount A director of athletics and recreation Pierre Arsenault.

“There just wasn’t an ability to reconcile the set of unique characteristics of university sports.” The OUA and Canada West conferences are also suspending sports through to January. RSEQ continues to be in deliberations and “will announce their plans in the near future,” according to a U Sports release.

- With files from Sean Hatchard