Due to pandemic, Ivy League cancels all sports this winter, including wrestling

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 12, 2020 — Presidents of the eight Ivy League schools have unanimously voted to cancel athletic competition in all winter sports for the 2020-21 season, including wrestling, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Six Ivy League schools compete in wrestling – Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, Pennsylvania and Princeton. All six compete in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association along with Sacred Heart.

“Regrettably, the current trends regarding transmission of the COVID-19 virus and subsequent protocols that must be put in place are impeding our strong desire to return to intercollegiate athletics competition in a safe manner,” the Ivy League Council said in a prepared statement. ”Student-athletes, their families and coaches are again being asked to make enormous sacrifices for the good of public health — and we do not make this decision lightly.

“While these decisions come with great disappointment and frustration, our commitment to the safety and lasting health of our student-athletes and wider communities must remain our highest priority,” the statement said.

Athletes will be able to continue training if they are structured in accordance with each institution’s procedures and applicable state and local regulations.

Last winter, Cornell (11-7, 5-2 EIWA) finished second at the EIWA championship meet being league champion Lehigh while Princeton (9-4, 7-0) finished fifth. Penn (6-9, 5-6) was eighth at the meet.

Ivy League statement on winter sports 2020-21