The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Board of Presidents has reiterated its intention for the Conference to commence competition this fall if the facts surrounding the pandemic support it. The Board agreed to postpone the start of competition in fall Olympic sports until September 17 and to conduct conference-only competition in women’s soccer and volleyball. This decision does not include football at this time due to existing contractual matters.
Pursuant to this decision, the fall competitive schedules for men’s and women’s cross country and non-championship segments for men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis will also be delayed until September 17, as will the non-traditional competition seasons for baseball and softball. The Board will continue to vigilantly monitor the situation to ensure the Conference’s plans are supported by current medical evidence and guidance.
The delay will provide each campus additional time to prepare for the seasons under new health guidelines, to stagger the start of seasons and for institutions to experience the impact of having the student body return to campus.
Furthermore, the competitive schedules for winter and spring sports are expected to remain unchanged.
Upon their return to campus, teams will have the opportunity to train and practice under the approved safety protocols established in partnership with the NCAA’s Resocialization of College Sports Guidelines, each institution and local public health experts.
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