This year’s Little League World Series and regional tournament will be canceled for the first time in the organization’s history.
The Little League announced Thursday that the tournament will be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the event will return in 2021.
Little League President and CEO Stephen Keener said the decision is “heartbreaking” for everyone at the organization and the players, but was necessary after “exhausting all possible options.”
The cancellation includes the 82 regional qualifying tournaments and their respective seven World Series events for baseball and softball at the Little League intermediate, junior and senior levels.
The organization said it will credit all chartered programs with the affiliate fees paid for their chartered team in 2020, which totals around $1.2 million, to support local operations.
Sports events have been postponed globally at all levels amid the coronavirus pandemic which has infected more than 3 million people globally, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.