A big heartbreak
LLWS canceled for 1st time ever; but optimism remains for some play this summer
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — This year’s Little League World Series and the championship tournaments in six other Little League divisions have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Little League President Stephen Keener announced the cancellations in a Facebook Live broadcast Thursday afternoon from league headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, saying it would be “impossible” to hold the events amid ongoing restrictions on large gatherings and travel.
The Little League World Series has been held every August since 1947 and had never been canceled before. Next year was to be the 75th playing of the tournament; that milestone has been pushed back to 2022.
“Let me tell the folks in all those communities and all the sites where we have regional qualifying tournaments how disappointed we are to have to do this, but it was inevitable,” Keener said. “It would be irresponsible and impossible to bring teams and thousands of people from all over the world into the community of Williamsport as well as those six other communities that have been such great friends and supporters of ours over the years.”
Connecticut plays a major role in the Little League postseason with the New England and Mid-Atlantic tournaments being held annually at the Giamatti Center in Bristol. The winners of those two events advance onto the World Series every year.
He added that travel restrictions would make it equally impossible to hold qualifying tournaments for international teams and to bring those teams safely to the United States.
Little League has not, however, called off the 2020 regular season. Keener said
— Stephen Keener, Little League president
there was reason for optimism that teams could play this spring and summer, depending on restrictions in states and localities.
The annual major league game in