A decision most will have considered inevitable is now official.
The Regional flagship rugby event, the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championship has been cancelled.
Originally scheduled to be hosted by The Bahamas in November, the event was set to feature men and women’s teams at the Under-18 level for the first time in addition to the senior draw.
RAN General Manager Niall Brooks provided a statement in an official release recently:
“The decision by RAN EXCO was not taken lightly and a number of factors were taken into consideration, not least the continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and the implications on international travel restrictions, self-isolation requirements, and the welfare of players, officials, and spectators.
“With many Member Unions returning to play and commencing preparations for the Sevens, it was deemed to be in everyone’s best interest to take the decision to cancel the events, so as to bring certainty to the situation and to avoid any unnecessary costs.”
The 2019 tournament served as a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics but with those spots now secured there was no immediate requirement to complete the 2020 event. It’s a decision that is consistent with the earlier cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-2020 World Sevens Series and the first four events of the 2020-2021 Series, the Oceania leg cancelled last week.
The move comes as no surprise for the Guyana Rugby Football Union.
President of the Guyana Rugby Football Union Ryan Dey, in a reaction said the following:
“Well it’s no surprise for us that RAN would cancel the tournament due to the pandemic. Hopefully, in 2021, we can have these tournaments both 7s and 15s run off. In the meantime our guys will stay as fit as possible given the circumstances.”
