The 2020 edition of the annual Wildeklawer Festival is the latest schools sports tournament to be postponed following the restrictions to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The popular festival was set for its 12th edition this year and there were plans for the tournament to expand to include other sports, along with their current rugby and netball offerings.
However, following the measures put in place by the South African government – which included schools closing from 18 March until the end of the Easter weekend and the restriction of gatherings to no more than 100 people – the decision has been made to postpone the tournament indefinitely.
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A decision will be made in future as to whether or not the tournament can still take place this year, but the Wildeklawer executive committee moved to reassure parents and pupils that the 2021 edition will definitely take place.
‘We have taken note of the President’s [Cyril Ramaphosa] announcements and the measures that have been put in place,’ the Wildeklawer Exco said in a statement.
‘The Exco of Wildeklawer Sport is committed to the health and well- being of our learners and parents, and our responsibility towards the broader community. We also respect the delicate and uncertain situation that exists in our schools, and their responsibility to take decisions in the best interest of all involved. We also respect the measures that were put in place by Government to manage the situation.
‘The Exco has therefore decided to postpone the 2020 Wildeklawer sport tournament indefinitely. The possibility of holding the tournament later, perhaps in a shortened form, will be looked at, given the distruption and subsequent shortening of the participating schools’ schedules. We can already confirm that Wildeklawer Sport 2021 will go ahead.
‘However, given the circumstances, and uncertainty about the future escalation of the virus, we trust that you will accept and respect our decision. Although we are still more than five weeks away from the event, we believe that a decision now is in the best interest of all.’
The tournament is not the only schools sports event to be affected by the restrictions. The Kearsney Easter Festival, as well as the Noord-Suid schools tournament, have already been cancelled for 2020.
