Effect of COVID-19 on the 2019-20 season
|
This article is about a constantly changing event. |
| Please note that information is likely to change frequently. Information on this page may be outdated as more information becomes available. |
States which have released announcements about the situation, but have not cancelled tournaments in their entirety
Cancellations
States which have cancelled some regional tournaments
States which have postponed their state tournaments until a later date
States which have cancelled one division of their state tournament
States which have cancelled both divisions of their state tournament
Tournaments Already Held
States which have completed one division of their state tournament
States which have completed both divisions of their state tournament
Cancellations
States which have cancelled some regional tournaments
States which have postponed their state tournaments until a later date
States which have cancelled one division of their state tournament
States which have cancelled both divisions of their state tournament
Tournaments Already Held
States which have completed one division of their state tournament
States which have completed both divisions of their state tournament
The outbreak of COVID-19 throughout the United States has affected many tournaments during the 2020 season. Currently, over a dozen state tournaments have been cancelled with many more state and regional tournaments being cancelled or postponed. Many other Science Olympiad organizations have made announcements/declarations on the matter. Several states who released announcements about not canceling state or regional tournaments have reversed their decision, although some have simply added restrictions to those tournaments or held the tournaments as planned.
The first state to cancel a regional was the Northwest Washington Regional on March 4, approximately one week before the National tournament announced the cancellation. The first state to cancel a state tournament was Southern California, on March 6. After this time, state and regional tournaments begin to be cancelled at increasing rates throughout the nation. Originally, there was a significant amount of confusion on how bids would be allocated for tournaments with cancelled state tournaments. On March 8, New York Science Olympiad announced they would not be sending teams to the National Tournament, with Southern California the following suit one day later.
On March 11, the National Tournament for the 2019-2020 season was cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19 per social media posts by the Science Olympiad Alumni Network. The posts also announced that the events of the 2021 season would now instead be the same as those of the 2020 season, a remark which has caused various amounts of support and backlash. Following this announcement, many state and regional tournaments were cancelled. A large number of states still have plans to hold their state and regional tournaments or have not yet publicly addressed the situation.
Timeline
Updates for the latest day are shown first. Please provide a source for any additions.
March 12
- South Carolina announces the cancellation of its Division B and C state tournaments. Source
- Massachusetts cancels their Div. C state tournament. Source
- Michigan Region 9 tournament is cancelled. Source
- Michigan state tournament has been cancelled. Source
- Colorado cancels both divisions of its State tournament Source
- District of Columbia cancels both divisions of its tournament.
March 11
- Nevada announces that State tournament will continue as scheduled, but the awards ceremony has been cancelled. Awards will be mailed to teams. [Source ?]
- Massachusetts announces the cancellation of its B Div State tournament [Source ?]
- Oregon releases a statement saying that they are monitoring the situation. No tournaments are currently cancelled. Source
- New Hampshire announces the cancellation of its state tournament. Source 1 Source 2
- Maryland state tournament is officially declared to be cancelled. Source
- This comes after Johns Hopkins University, host of the Maryland state tournament, who released a statement saying they are moving to online classes through at least April 12. Alongside that, Johns Hopkins is also discouraging any sort of non-essential university activities or events. Source pt. 1 Source pt. 2 Source pt. 3
- Connecticut decides to instead postpone both the Div B and Div C state tournaments til a later date. SourceRaw Source
- Virginia's state board announces that they are considering their options due to UVA, host of the Virginia State Tournament, banning events on the campus. Source UVA Source
- Illinois announces the CPS/IIT Regional, Belleville East Regional, and College of DuPage Regional will be cancelled due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago suburbs. Source Raw Source
- University of Illinois, later on, released a mass mail saying they will move to online classes and that activities with more than 50 people will be prohibited. Source
- Hawaii announces that its State tournament will continue as scheduled, as per an email sent by the state director.
- The 2020 Science Olympiad National Tournament at North Carolina State has been cancelled. Next year's (2021) season will replay the current rules. Official SourceSource
- Kansas's state director announces to coaches that the State tournament will continue as scheduled as long as the host does not make any changes. Source
- Florida announces that their state tournament is cancelled. Source
- California (South) announces cancellation of their regional tournament in San Diego. Source
- Georgia announces cancellation of the state tournament in both divisions. Source
- Utah announces cancellation of their state tournament. Source
- Idaho announces it is following the COVID-19 situation. Their state tournament is currently still planned. Source
- California (North) announces cancellation of their state tournament. Source
- Rhode Island announces the cancellation of their state tournament. Very unofficial source from MadCow
- South Dakota releases a statement to coaches that a decision regarding the State tournament is pending. Source
- Arizona officially cancels their State tournament. Source
- Wisconsin tweets another update stating that no decision has yet to be made. Source
- Maine cancels their State tournament. Source
- North Carolina announces the cancellation of its remaining regional Division A, B and C tournaments along with the state tournaments. SourceTwitter Source
- Southeast Urban Pennsylvania Regional is cancelled Source
March 10
- Ohio cancels all remaining regional tournaments as well as the Division B and C state finals Source
- Indiana cancels its state tournament with no possibility of a reschedule. Source
- This comes after Purdue University, the host for the state tournament, has announced that all events involving external visitors have been suspended until May 2. Source
- New York announces that the Mid-Hudson and Mid-Western regionals are cancelled. Source
- A statement from a Maryland coach says that the state tournament is cancelled with there presumably being no rescheduling. Source
- While this was an unofficial announcement, Maryland later on officially proceeded to cancel the state tournament on March 11.
- New Jersey successfully hosts its state tournament for both divisions with no award ceremony. Source
- Florida releases another announcement indicating that the tournament is continuing, although some preventative measures will be taken. Source (Overridden March 11)
- Wisconsin sends an email to coaches saying that they are monitoring the situation on a daily basis. As of this date, the State tournament is scheduled to continue, however, this may change at any time. Source
March 9
- Pennsylvania announces:
- The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional for both Division B and Division C is cancelled. Source
- The Northeast Pennsylvania Regional "plans to reschedule within the next two months." Source
- The Central East Pennsylvania Regional for Division C is also cancelled. Source
- New Jersey announces that the state tournament will proceed as scheduled, though the awards ceremony has been cancelled. Source
- Connecticut announces that the Division B state tournament will not be held. Source (Overridden March 11)
- California (South) announces that it will not send any teams to the National tournament. Source
- Vermont announces that the state tournament will be cancelled: Source
- Washington announces cancellation of the Division B Northwest Washington Regional. Source
March 8
- New York announces: Source
- The Division C state tournament is cancelled due to the host venue's request
- The Division B state tournament is cancelled in expectation of a worsening situation
- The Mid-Hudson and Mid-Western Division B regionals are currently set to take place as scheduled. (Overridden March 10)
- The Lower Hudson Division B regional is postponed indefinitely
- NY has informed the national organization that they will not be sending teams to the National Tournament.
- Pennsylvania cancels the Northeast Pennsylvania Regional for both Division B and Division C. Rescheduling is planned within two months. Source
- Indiana indicates that the state tournament is scheduled to run as planned. Source (Overridden March 10)
March 7
- Florida indicates that as of the time of that writing the FL state tournament is planned to take place as scheduled. Source (Overridden March 11)
- Maine indicates that as of the time of writing, the Maine state tournament is still planned to take place. Source
- Illinois indicates at the time of writing that all state competitions are planned to take place as scheduled and that they are monitoring the situation. Source
- Iowa successfully completes both divisions of their State tournament
- Delaware successfully completes its Division C State tournament
- Minnesota successfully completes its Division C State tournament
March 6
- California (South) announces state tournament cancellation after consultation with host. Source
- Southern California will not reschedule its state tournament and will not send any teams to the 2020 national tournament, according to a statement on March 9 Source
- North Carolina announces that they are monitoring the situation but at the time of writing have no plans of cancelling the NC state tournament or National Tournament. Source (National Tournament Overridden March 11)
- Virginia's state director emails coaches saying that VASO plans to follow UVA policies regarding COVID-19 and the state tournament. Source (Overridden March 11)
March 4
- Washington announces cancellation of the Division C Northwest Washington Regional. Source
February 29
- West Virginia successfully completes its Division C State tournament
February 28
- Missouri announces that they are monitoring the situation but at the time of writing the MO state tournament is planned to take place as scheduled. Source
March 11
- North Carolina announces they are cancelling the state tournament. Source
List of affected tournaments
| Name | State | Level | Status | Division | Planned Date | Announcement Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State Tournament | AZ | State | Cancelled | B/C | 3/21/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| California (South) State Tournament | CA(S) | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/4/20 | 3/6/20 | |
| Colorado State Tournament | CO | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/4/20 | 3/12/20 | |
| Connecticut State Tournament | CT | State | Postponed | B | 3/14/20 | 3/9/20 (Cancelled), 3/11/20 | Postponed until Mid-May |
| C | 4/4/20 | 3/11/20 (Postponed) | Postponed until Mid-May | ||||
| Florida State Tournament | FL | State | Cancelled | B/C | 3/21/20 | 3/7/20, 3/10/20 | |
| Hawaii State Tournament | HI | State | Continuing | B/C | 4/4/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| Illinois State Tournament | IL | State | Continuing | B/C | 4/18/20 | 3/7/20 | |
| CPS (at IIT) Regional | IL | Regional | Cancelled | B/C | 3/14/2020 | 3/11/20 | |
| Belleville East Regional | IL | Regional | Cancelled | B/C | 3/14/2020 | 3/11/20 | |
| Indiana State Tournament | IN | State | Cancelled | B/C | 3/21/20 | 3/8/20 (Continuing), 3/10/20 (Cancelled) | |
| Kansas State Tournament | KS | State | Continuing | B/C | 4/4/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| Massachusetts State Tournament | MA | State | Cancelled | B | 3/14/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| C | 3/21/20 | 3/12/20 | |||||
| Maryland State Tournament | MD | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/4/20 | 3/10/20 | |
| Maine State Tournament | ME | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/4/20 | 3/7/20 (Continuing), 3/11/20 (Cancelled) | |
| Michigan State Tournament | MI | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/25/20 | 3/12/20 | |
| Michigan Region 9 Tournament | MI | Regional | Cancelled | B/C | 3/28/20 | 3/12/20 | |
| Missouri State Tournament | MO | State | Continuing | B/C | 4/4/20 | 2/28/20 | |
| 2020 National Tournament | NC | National | Cancelled | B/C | 5/16/20 | 3/11/20 | Rules will be replayed for next year |
| North Carolina State Tournament | NC | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/25/20 | 3/6/20 (Continuing), 3/11/20 (Cancelled) | |
| New Hampshire State Tournament | NH | State | Continuing | B/C | 3/21/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| New Jersey State Tournament | NJ | State | Completed | B/C | 3/10/20 | 3/9/20 | No awards ceremony, awards mailed instead |
| Nevada State Tournament | NV | State | Continuing | B/C | 3/21/20 | 3/11/20 | No awards ceremony, awards mailed instead |
| New York State Tournament | NY | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/17/20 (B), 3/13/20 (C) | 3/8/20 | |
| Mid-Hudson Regional | NY | Regional | Cancelled | B | 3/14/20 (B) | 3/8/20 (Continuing), 3/10/20 (Cancelled) | |
| Mid-Western Regional | NY | Regional | Cancelled | B | 3/14/20 (B) | 3/8/20 (Continuing), 3/10/20 (Cancelled) | |
| Lower Hudson Regional | NY | Regional | Cancelled | B | 3/7/20 (B) | 3/8/20 | |
| Ohio State Tournament | OH | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/25/20 | 3/10/20 | |
| Oregon State Tournament | OR | State | Continuing | B/C | 4/18/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| Northwest Pennsylvania Regional | PA | Regional | Cancelled | B/C | 3/10/20 | 3/9/20 | |
| Central East Pennsylvania Regional | PA | Regional | Cancelled | C | 3/11/20 | 3/9/20 | |
| Northeast Pennsylvania Regional | PA | Regional | Continuing | B/C | 3/11/20 | 3/8/20 | Rescheduling is planned within 2 months |
| Rhode Island State Tournament | RI | State | Cancelled | B/C | 4/18/20 | 3/11/20 | |
| South Carolina State Tournament | SC | State | Cancelled | B | 3/14/20 | 3/12/20 | |
| C | 3/21/20 | 3/12/20 | |||||
| South Dakota State Tournament | SD | State | Pending | B/C | 3/21/20 | 3/11/20 | Pending decision as of 3/11/20 |
| Virginia State Tournament | VA | State | Cancelled | B/C | 3/28/20 | 3/6/20 (Continuing), 3/11/20 (Rescheduling), 3/11/20 (Cancelled) | Cancelled shortly after the National Tournament was cancelled. |
| Vermont State Tournament | VT | State | Cancelled | B/C | 3/14/20 | 3/9/20 | |
| Northwest Washington Regional | WA | Regional | Cancelled | C | 3/7/20 | 3/4/20 | |
| B | 3/21/20 | 3/9/20 | |||||
| Wisconsin State Tournament | WI | State | Continuing | B/C | 4/18/20 | 3/10/20 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Please do not answer questions based on speculation. All claims should be verifiable through a credible source.
Will my state's tournaments be rescheduled?
Each state differs by its response to tournament cancellations. Please check your state's official Science Olympiad website and with your regional or state directors for information about tournaments in your state.
Will the national tournament be cancelled?
The national tournament director has stated the tournament is now cancelled. Source
Will the national tournament be rescheduled?
There has been no definitive statement from the national tournament. However, the phrasing of the cancellation message suggests that the 2020 season is functionally over.