Following the announcement of a national state of disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday evening, Canoeing South Africa has officially postponed all events on the national calendar until 14 April 2020 in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
In-line with the national disaster management act, where gatherings of over 100 people are prohibited, there are a number of major events on the calendar that have had to be cancelled or postponed to later dates.
The South African Canoe Polo Championships which were set for this coming weekend in Johannesburg have been postponed while the South African Schools and SA Sprint Championships that were to be held at Shongweni Dam from 1-5 April have also been postponed.
“We have received confirmation from the organisers of the Umkomaas Marathon, the SA Schools Sprint Championships, the SA Sprint Championships and the SA Canoe Polo Championships that these events have either been cancelled or postponed indefinitely,” Secretary General of Canoeing South Africa Colin Simpkins said.
“Our sport will be joining a plethora of others that have enforced a massive national and international shut down.
“In addition to the cancellation of local events, the International Canoeing Federation has announced the cancellation of a number of major events across various disciplines for the next few months.”