The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has announced that high school sports in the state will be indefinitely delayed with start dates anticipated in December or next January.
In an opaque press release Monday, the CIF announced that “education-based athletics for the 2020-2021 school year will begin with a modified season of sport schedule.” That schedule will be determined in collaboration with the CIF’s 10 regional sections.
The CIF announcement works backward by setting end dates for competition in the 2020-21 academic year, as the release includes the last day for section playoffs and regional/state championships. It will be up to the sections to determine when competition can start. That won’t happen in the fall months.
Among the formerly fall sports, boys and girls water polo will move to March championship dates, with section playoffs ending March 13, 2021 and regional/state competition ending a week later. Swimming will move to a spring schedule, with the final date for sections on May 29, 2021 and the regional/state championships June 5. That’s a delay of only a few weeks from the usual championship dates.
From the CIF release:
“We are continuously monitoring the directives and guidelines released from the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and local county health departments and agencies as these directives and guidelines are followed by our member schools/school districts with student health and safety at the forefront. As these guidelines change, CIF Sections may allow for athletic activity to potentially resume under the summer period rules of the local Section.”
The release also adjusts certain CIF bylaws to extend the summer period into the fall.