Another major event, the New West Grand Prix cycling race, has been cancelled due to this COVID-19 pandemic.
Organizers with BC Superweek announced the cancellation of Grand Prix, and the rest of the Superweek series, Monday at noon. The New West race was scheduled for July 14. The next races are set to run from July 8 to 19, 2021.
“Of utmost importance is the health and safety of all who make BC Superweek one of the biggest professional cycling events in North America,” reads a BC Superweek news release. “Organizers also feel there is a broader responsibility to society's efforts to tackle this global challenge.”
Organizers said they have been following the guidance of provincial and federal public health officials in its year-round efforts to plan the events.
“With the likelihood that measures related to COVID-19 will continue for the foreseeable future, we must act responsibly to protect the many people who come together for BC Superweek from being at risk,” said series director Mark Ernsting in a news release.
Over the past few weeks, provincial and federal governments have been announcing increasing measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. That includes barring social gatherings of more than 50 people in B.C. and encouraging the public to maintain distances of two metres or more from others, except for members of the same household.
The New West Grand Prix isn’t the first event to be cancelled in the city. May Day plans and Easter in the Park were also cancelled, and the city has also closed some of its sports amenities like tennis courts and lacrosse boxes.
Other cancelled BC Superweek events include the Giro di Burnaby, the Tour de Delta, the Gastown Grand Prix, the PoCo Grand Prix and the Tour de White Rock. The events include a combined $140,000 in prize money over 10 days.
