Thanks to the success of the Atlantic bubble, the AUS is considering reopening for regional competition in the winter semester.
Athletic directors from the four provinces and other representatives from the conference's member universities and league office will hold committee meetings with the hope of having a decision within the next month.
“We’re pleased by the directive we’ve been given by our board of directors to allow a committee of dedicated individuals to explore possible options for AUS competition in the winter semester,” AUS president and director of athletics for UNB John Richard said in a news release. “As athletic directors, we are passionate about sport and we believe in its value not only to our student-athletes, but to our campuses and surrounding communities. We welcome the opportunity to seek out safe and viable ways to resume competition this season.”
The key areas of discussion for the committee will be the health and safety of players and team staff members, finacial feasability and travel concerns. There will also need to be some built-in flexibility to work with the respective public health and safety officials from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador as the COVID-19 landscape and regulations continue to shift and evolve.
“The remarkable success of the Atlantic Canadian bubble places our conference in a unique position nationally to consider options surrounding return-to-play,” AUS executive director Phil Currie said in a news release. “And while we approach this committee with great optimism, we also know that we must exercise caution and vigilance with respect to public health guidelines.
“Our board of directors will have an important decision to make come November, and we will be supportive of that decision, understanding the many complex factors which will play into it.”
The governing body for university athletics across Canada - U SPORTS - has cancelled all national championships for the 2020-21 academic and athletic year so competion in the AUS would not progress beyond the conference.
Ontario University Athletics and the Canada West conference already announced they will not have competition in the winter semester and university sports are also all on hold in Quebec (RESQ) until at least January 15.
“Following consultations with the four conferences, we agreed that student-athlete safety remains our top priority,” U SPORTS interim chief executive officer Dick White said in a news release. "It is not logistically possible for teams to be travelling across the country at this time. Therefore, U SPORTS is in the unfortunate position where we are unable to offer the 2021 winter championships.”
Winter sports on the AUS calendar are hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming and curling.
