World Lacrosse has announced the decision to postpone the Women’s World Championship and Men’s U-20 World Championship, moving both tournaments from 2021 to the summer of 2022.
In a statement released earlier today, World Lacrosse said they had “examined the continued impact, uncertainty and disruption created by the global pandemic on preparations for these events, along with input provided by our member-National Governing Bodies regarding athlete health and safety, team training, travel and other logistical considerations.”
The decisions were taken by the World Lacrosse Board of Directors at their December monthly meeting with dates for the rescheduled events to be “confirmed as a matter of priority and communicated to World Lacrosse members as soon as possible”.
The Men’s Junior World Championship, will become a U-21 event to allow for the continued eligibility of players currently training for the Championship in Limerick, Ireland at the University of Limerick, while the Women’s World Championship has been confirmed as being held in Towson, Maryland, USA at Towson University.
World Lacrosse also said they expect the sequence of events for World Lacrosse and its members in 2022 to be:
Late June/early July - 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship (Towson, Maryland, USA).
July 7 - 17 - The World Games 2022 (Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
Late July/early August - 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U-21 World Championship (Limerick, Ireland)
Upon the release of the statement, World Lacrosse President, Sue Redfern, remarked:
“These are extremely difficult decisions, particularly given the need to provide our members with as much advance notice as possible whilst managing the risk and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.
“Given the full range of considerations, this is the right decision for World Lacrosse and our members; an extra year to prepare means the participating teams will be able to train with certainty in knowing these events will take place in 2022, and athletes can now focus on preparing with confidence for their moment on the global stage”.
The full World Lacrosse statement can be read HERE