Alberta Summer Games in Lethbridge postponed until 2021

Following in the footsteps of the Olympics they emulate, the Alberta Summer Games have been held back a year.

The Games, which were set to take place in Lethbridge July 23-26, will now be held in 2021 according to a statement released Thursday.

“The health and wellbeing of our young athletes was at the forefront of this decision,” part of the statement read. “While postponing these games is being done with an abundance of caution, we believe this will ultimately prove to be the right decision for all involved.”

No new dates were announced.

The Games take place every two years, with 14 sports in the summer version making it a miniature, regionalized version of the Olympics. Hundreds of athletes from the Alberta Games have gone on to represent Canada internationally.

Restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic already led to the Tokyo Olympics to be pushed back to 2021. The virus is also to blame for the provincial postponement, with organizers noting that zone tryouts were already being affected. Instead of trying to reschedule all of those and hope the Games themselves wouldn’t need to change dates, it was decided to push everything back.

“We recognize that this postponement will be disappointing news for athletes, coaches, officials, parents, sponsors, supporters and our volunteers,” read the statement. “The coronavirus has already hampered preparation for zone tryouts, which we know has likely added anxiety to an already difficult situation. By postponing these games rather than choosing outright cancellation, we put a pause in preparation for the games to allow for all involved to focus solely on getting through this pandemic safely. The games will wait for you to be at your best.”

The Alberta Winter Games took place in January in Airdrie.