COVID-19 wreaks havoc with major Sask. events - again

A growing number of Saskatchewan event organizers are looking at altering plans for the second year in a row due to COVID-19.

Organizers of the Saskatchewan Winter Games, scheduled for Regina, the and Knights of Columbus Indoor Games in Saskatoon pulled the pin last week.

The President of the Knights of Columbus Indoor games said it’s frustrating to have to cancel again but is confident they made the right decision in the final hours.

“It was looking like touch and go whether or not we would be able to make it work and we wanted to gather as much information as we could,” Gil Wist told CTV News.

This would have been the 56th edition of the games with the 2021 version also being cancelled. More than 1,000 athletes were informed about the cancellation including those from elementary schools, high schools, universities and 25 international participants from the United States and the Caribbean.

The cancelled Saskatchewan Winter Games, meanwhile, affected 1,800 athletes.

Winterruption was supposed to get underway on Jan. 26 in Saskatoon and Regina, but organizers had to revaluate.

The event, which focuses on getting people out during the coldest part of the winter, is moving most indoor events to March or April but will continue with a few outdoor venues on the usual January days.

“It’s a little heartbreaking every time we have to make the call because we’ve seen with the events we’ve been hosting that the appetite is there and people want to get back to arts and culture and community events," said Aryn Otterbein, interim executive director of the Broadway Theatre.

In Prince Albert, stand-up comedian Brent Butt announced his show on Jan. 23 at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre has been postponed until June.

The Regina Symphony Orchestra has postponed concerts in January and February while the Saskatoon Symphony has cancelled its Disney Frozen show a the end of January.

Some events are still hanging on. The Crop Production Show got underway Monday at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. The event website has details on COVID-19 protocols for those attending such as mandatory masking and proof of vaccinations or negative test results.

The Winter Knockout Cheerleading Championships on Saturday are going ahead, but strict spectator limits have been imposed as well as other protocols including mandatory masking - including for athletes who are competing.