Indoor Games

Remaining 2020 Competitions are Cancelled

After further careful consideration, and in the interests of the health and safety of all involved, the organizing committee of the Running Room Indoor Games has made the decision to cancel the remaining (Saturday) competitions of the 2020 edition (which you may recall were postponed on March 12 to Saturday, May 30, 2020).

This cancellation of the remainder of this year's 42nd Annual Running Room Indoor Games will be a disappointment, not least for your students who were excitedly anticipating their continued involvement and sharing their achievements with their families and friends. However, as important as your teams' time, energy, and efforts in preparation for this event are and have been, we believe that -- in the current health situation (COVID-19) -- cancellation is the most responsible and appropriate decision. Among the considerations:

- Due to current provincial and civic orders and restrictions (e.g.: limitations to groups not exceeding fifteen people; two-metre physical distancing; prohibition on accessing public recreation facilities), it is not viable for your relay teams to train/prepare together for their next round. (For the benefit of your athletes and their parents/guardians, references are included below.)

- As per the World Health Organization (WHO), "...there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus...". There is no vaccine for COVID-19 (and there might not be for quite some time).

- The optimistic modelling projection by the Government of Alberta has the "Probable" infections peak occurring in mid-May, with infections continuing well past June. As Dr. Theresa Tam has been advocating since mid-March, we must all do what we can to "Plank the curve..." (and to continue to do so, for the benefit of each of us and for each of those we know).

- Alberta does not yet have the capacity to test everyone (and the rate of "false negative" for presymptomatic individuals is significant (nearly a third)) nor to test individuals on an ongoing basis (a "negative" today does not mean the person will be "negative" in two days). There is not yet a test for the antibodies (i.e.: to confirm whether the person had (and recovered from) a COVID-19 infection).

- The WHO has identified familial clusters of infection involving children having only one or two mild symptoms and not realizing they were sick. (This is separate from the health/medical concerns regarding adult asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19.)

- As you may be aware, the Universiade Pavilion (a.k.a.: The Butterdome, our competition facility) has been converted into a COVID-19 clinic and test site, and (therefore) is unavailable for other purposes until further notice.

Information regarding the 2021 (43rd Annual) edition of the Running Room Indoor Games will be posted by mid-December, 2020 after the organizing committee has confirmed key points regarding the operational side of the meet.. We are all looking forward to to seeing you and your enthusiastic athletes in ten months. If you have questions or concerns, please send them via electronic mail to [email protected] .

Irv Barros, Meet Director

References:

- World Health Organization: Myth Busters and COVID-19 Situation Reports (including one noting familial clusters of infection)
- Public Health Agency of Canada: COVID-19 information
- Alberta Health Services: Chief Medical Officer updates
- Government of Alberta
- City of Edmonton
- Modelling Projections: Alberta's and overview document; and Canada's and technical briefing document
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
- Our World in Data
- Universiade Pavilion: conversion into a referral-only COVID-19 clinic and test site

Pictures of the 2020 Running Room Indoor Games will be added to The Running Room's Facebook page. Photo Galleries include 2019, 2018, and 2017.

Please visit The Running Room to see a list of other great running events this year!


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