Penn Relays scrubbed again, but consolation competition planned

For the second straight year there will be no Penn Relays, at least in its traditional form.

The University of Pennsylvania announced Thursday that it has canceled the 2021 Penn Relays, originally scheduled for April 22-24, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and local restrictions on large gatherings.

However, if virus conditions continue to improve in the city, the Penn Relays may conduct a local college-only track meet at Franklin Field on what would have been the Carnival wrap-up day, Saturday, April 24.

That meet would be consistent with the Ivy League Council of Presidents’ parameters for spring sports competition. The Penn Relays will also hold a meet for open and professional athletes in the coming months and a scholastic meet sometime in the summer.

“We are extremely disappointed to cancel the Penn Relays for a second year,” Dave Johnson, director of the Relays, said in a statement. “At the same time, we feel a strong obligation to the local track and field community to provide as much competition as safely possible during the course of the spring and summer.”

The college-only meet would consist of Division I, II and III schools within the Philadelphia region in a one-day event. Team and individual participants will have to comply with Penn’s COVID-19 safety policies and procedures, which include adhering to sufficient testing programs, symptom checking, contact tracing, mask wearing and physical distancing except while competing.

The open and professional meet would be held before the U.S. Olympic-qualifying deadlines. The U.S Olympic Trials are scheduled for June 18-27 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The Olympics are scheduled for July 23Aug. 8 in Tokyo.

The scholastic meet would be held later in the summer. Information on both meets will be released at a later date.

No fans will be allowed into any of the events. Only essential personnel will be allowed into Franklin Field. Ticket refund information can be found on the Penn Relays website.

“It is disappointing that we once again have to cancel one of the landmark events of the spring in Philadelphia and in track and field, but collectively we want to ensure the safety of our athletes, campus, community, and spectators,” Penn athletic director Dr. M. Grace Calhoun said. “Our goal on campus has been to safely move through the Ivy athletic activity phases to host competition and we remain hopeful that we will be able to provide some competitive opportunities for as many athletes as possible who have missed out on so much this past year.”