KIBIHT has been cancelled for the second straight year due to COVID-19 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

CANCELLED TOURNAMENTS

KIBIHT, B.C. curling championships cancelled following latest provincial restrictions

Dec 17, 2021 | 3:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — The province’s tighter restrictions on indoor gatherings has affected two major sports tournaments in the city.

The Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament is a no-go for the second straight year. Within an hour of Dr. Henry’s announcement, organizers were getting the word out the tournament is cancelled.

“I do feel really bad, not just for the organizers but for the players. I think everybody was looking forward to it, and it’s a message I didn’t want to send, but unfortunately we do have to send it,” said KIBIHT organizer Jan Antons.

There were 20 teams set to take part in the tournament starting Dec. 29 until Jan. 2. Organizers were look ahead to the post-Christmas start date and Friday’s announcement came as a surprise.

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“We were going 100 miles an hour the last couple days getting everything ready,” said Antons. “We had printers starting to print stuff, finalizing confirmations with the City of Kamloops, had a conference call scheduled for the 22nd with all the teams getting them ready to come here. All the rooms were booked in the hotels, so a lot of cancellations that will happen today.”

Not only is KIBIHT done, the B.C. Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships in Kamloops have been postponed by Curl BC, marking back-to-back year it’s been interrupted by COVID-19. It was schedule to run Jan. 4-9 at McArthur Island.

“We just have the most amazing group of volunteers on the ground [in Kamloops], an organizing committee that has put this together twice, two years in a row,” said Curl BC’s marketing and communications manager Doug Sarti. “We’re essentially ready to go. The programs were going to the printers this afternoon. Then there’s also the athletes who’ve trained for this. It’s a huge disappointment to everybody, so we’re just hoping we can make this work.”

The Scotties is scheduled for Jan. 28 to Feb. 6 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. That province is having its own issues with the Omicron variant that has seen recent restrictions implemented as well.

Curl BC is hoping, if restrictions ease early in the new year, the provincials can still be played before the Scotties.

“It will depend on whether we’re able to get venues, whether the athletes will be able to make it back in town, so at this point we just can’t say for sure, but it is our hope,” said Sarti.

In addition, the province announced on Friday venues like the Sandman Centre will be back down to 50 per cent capacity, not affecting the Blazers until Dec. 28 — the first home game after restrictions are implemented Monday.

The restrictions are set to remain in place until at least Jan. 31.