The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
AIR QUALITY
Festival has been
“Based on current forecast models and consultation with our external weather services, we remain optimistic that we will see an improvement in air quality on Friday,” NYRA President & CEO David O’Rourke said in a statement.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned the Belmont Stakes could be called off if the air quality index exceeds 200 on its scale.
If the air quality is 150 to 200, only horses that pass an additional prerace vet examination will be permitted to race.
“People come from all over the country,” Hochul cancelled. said. “It’s huge for the local economy. And so we … hopefully can get this going, but there’s no assurance of what the weather’s going to be. So it’s going to be a last-minute decision, I’m sure.”
A statement from Major League Baseball said the Diamondbacks-Nationals postponement was made after conversations with medical and weather experts and the two teams “regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in Washington, DC.”
Plans call for a makeup game at 1:05 p.m. on June 22 at Nationals Park.
The postponement comes a day after games in New York and Philadelphia were postponed because of the poor air. The Diamondbacks defeated the Nationals 6-2 on Wednesday, when smoky conditions were noticeable, but not as severe as Thursday.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) was delaying its non-public state championship baseball games from Thursday to Friday.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has moved its 12 boys and girls state tournament semifinals from Thursday to Friday.
The NFL’s New York Giants also canceled practice Thursday.