Riders were aplenty at the Paarl Boxing Day. Photo: Owen Lloyd
The Paarl Boxing Day Track Challenge, which was scheduled for December 26, has been called off.
The announcement was made in a joint statement by Drakenstein Municipality and the Paarl Amateur Cycling and Athletics Club today.
The latter is the custodian of the iconic track cycling meeting, which would have celebrated its 123rd year of uninterrupted presentation this year.
“After much deliberation, we simply could not eliminate the Covid 19 risk associated with the presentation,” said event organiser Wynand de Villiers.
“It would be irresponsible to present the event within the current Covid 19 environment as it poses the risk of being a catalyst for the spread of the disease.”
The 2020 edition was sanctioned by the UCI, cycling’s international governing body, as part of the UCI World Track Series for a second consecutive year.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we make this announcement,” said De Villiers.
“Boxing Day presents us with an annual opportunity to make a positive contribution to the mindset of the people of Paarl. It is part of their heritage and we are very sensitive to this.
“It is a sad day for sport, but this is out of our control and we are left trying to make sense of the situation. The only sensible decision is to do our bit to preserve lives.”
