AMES, Iowa—Many in central Iowa have participated in the Summer Iowa Games and may have planned to do so this year. Unfortunately, Iowa Games officials announced today that the bulk of sports for the 2020 Summer Iowa Games presented by Grinnell Mutual in Ames and surrounding communities have been cancelled due to COVID-19.
Due to the group gathering nature of this large-scale sports festival and social-distancing guidelines currently in place, the majority of the Summer Iowa Games have been cancelled for 2020. Athletes and participants are encouraged to follow the Iowa Games on social media, as virtual events may be offered this summer for some of the cancelled sports.
“The Summer Iowa Games takes months of coordination with a tremendous amount of effort from our staff, Iowa State University, and the Ames community,” commented Chuck Long, Iowa Games CEO/Executive Director. “We could not justify holding the Games while putting our athletes, coaches, volunteers and staff at risk.”
Due to the nature of some events, a small number of sports may continue to be held as scheduled. These sports/events include: 3D Archery, July 25-26; Big Fish Classic, August 09; Black Powder (Pistol), July 31-Aug 2; Black Powder (Rifle), Aug 7-9; Bocce, July 11; Bowling Districts, June 27-28 & July 11/12 (reschedule from June); Bowling Finals, Aug 8 (rescheduled from July 18); Bowling High School Team, Aug 7 (rescheduled from July 17); Cycling Road Race, August 02; Cycling Time Trial, August 01; Disc Golf, July 18-19; FootGolf, July 11; Golf – 4 Person Best Shot, July 19; Golf – Juniors/Pee Wee (IPGA), July 16; Golf – Juniors/Pee Wee (non-IPGA), July 15; Hoover-Ball, August 08; Light Saber, July 18-19; Sand Volleyball (Cedar Rapids), Aug 15 (rescheduled from June 13); Sand Volleyball (Des Moines), July 18; Trapshooting, August 15; Triathlon/Duathlon, July 12; Water Skiing, July 18-19; Whitewater Slalom, June 20.
The Iowa Games will continue to monitor the situation, and any changes to the above sports will be announced as needed.
For more information regarding this cancellation, please visit www.iowagames.org or email info@iowagames.org, as our staff is continuing to work remotely.
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