KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has made the decision to cancel the 2020 spring sports season due to the heightened state of emergency due to COVID-19, the organization announced Monday.
The statement from Jim Carr, the president and CEO of the NAIA, reads as follows:
"After convening the Council of Presidents Executive Committee this morning, and with input from the National Administrative Council and National Eligibility Committee, the decision has been made to cancel the spring 2020 sports season, effective immediately.
We know this is extremely disappointing, especially for our student-athletes. All possible options for maintaining the spring season were discussed at great length by multiple governance groups. However, the growing state of emergency due to COVID-19, as well as the Center for Disease Control's recommendation yesterday to limit gatherings to fewer than 50 people for eight weeks, meant we could not in good conscience move forward, possibly putting student-athletes, staff, and fans at risk.
In an effort to provide relief, no spring sport student-athlete will be charged a season of competition. Any spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled full-time in 2020 will be awarded two additional semester terms of attendance or the equivalent.
We know there are outstanding questions regarding relief for winter sport student-athletes, implications on transfer regulations, and impacts to academic eligibility rules. We are working closely with the appropriate governance groups to determine answers and will continue to share information with membership as it becomes available."
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