Nothing is guaranteed regarding the pandemic, but FIBA is hoping for a semblance of normalcy next year. The world governing body of basketball announced the new dates for the Tokyo Olympic qualifying tournaments scheduled for Victoria, Split in Croatia, Kaunas in Lithuania, and Belgrade in Serbia.
They will be conducted within the period of June 22 and July 4, 2021. The Victoria qualifying tournament, featuring host team Canada, will be played at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“There is now a window we can look to with planning certainty,” said Clint Hamilton, chairman of the Victoria organizing steering committee.
“They [FIBA] are happy with how our organizing has been handled and there was no question of Victoria continuing as a host city.”
The Victoria tournament had originally been scheduled for June 23-28 in the Memorial Centre but that was scrubbed due to the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics to 2021 due to COVID-19. The Games will still be labelled Tokyo 2020.
“I’m very pleased that, in a very challenging period, FIBA has been able to conduct an internal consultation process so fast and confirm an updated calendar within almost two weeks from the IOC’s announcement of the new dates for the Olympic Games,” FIBA secretary-general Andreas Zagklis said in a statement.
Tokyo Olympic organizers, meanwhile, were derided for being overly optimistic that the 2020 Summer Games could go ahead as scheduled this year. Once stung, they went in the completely opposite direction Friday in becoming so extremely cautious as to lower expectations even for 2021.
But the Games do not take place in isolation. If COVID-19 is still causing cancellations and postponements into the summer of 2021, that would also mean no Super Bowl, and for a second consecutive year, no Stanley Cup, Memorial Cup, NBA championship, NCAA Final Four, Euro soccer, Masters, British Open, Indy or Wimbledon. Society is in a lot more trouble than it thought if that happens.
Regardless of when sport returns, it will play an important role in the transition to normalcy. People look to it as an emotional and comforting touchstone. Hamilton is monitoring the situation not only as chair of the Victoria Olympic qualifying basketball tournament, but also as athletic director of the University of Victoria as he surveys the evolving landscape for the 2020-21 Canada West and U Sports seasons.
“No matter the level — locally, nationally or internationally — sport will be a big part of how we heal,” said Hamilton.
