This year could be a tale of two halves in Island sports because of the vaccine timeline. For instance, the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon is likely in optimistic position for regular in-person live racing on Oct. 10 while the sa国际传媒 10K will be a virtual event from April 16-25 with organizers promising unique features for online races.
But another spring annual event, the Swiftsure sailing race in May, has been cancelled for a second straight year.
That鈥檚 just the straight-up winter-spring versus summer-fall hard reality facing organizers as things stand.
Here are the top-10 Island-related storylines to watch for in 2021 as sport reopens at a pace to be determined by events largely out of its control:
1. THE SHOW MUST GO ON: The statistic to remember is that 73 per cent of the International Olympic Committee鈥檚 total revenue comes from television. No Games to broadcast means no money. That is why the delayed Tokyo Olympics from July 23 to Aug. 8 and Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5 will take place, irrespective of fans in venues or vaccines in arms by that point. Not to mention Japan is already in for billions of dollars and that ante is spent and cannot be returned to taxpayers even if the Games were cancelled.
More than 75 Island or Island-based athletes are expected to compete for sa国际传媒 in Tokyo, an impressive number for any region.
2. DRIBBLING TO TOKYO: The Olympics will go ahead, so it stands to reason the Games basketball qualifying tournament will also take place, from June 29 to July 4 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. All NBA players not on the four teams in the conference finals will be available to their national squads for the Olympic qualifier. That鈥檚 good news for sa国际传媒鈥檚 expected NBA-stacked roster. Whether fans will be allowed into the Memorial Centre is not known and dependent on the health rules in effect at the time.
3. PLAY BALL: Last year鈥檚 cancellation was unfortunate for the 12-year-olds who aged out. Layritz Park was re-awarded the Canadian Little League baseball championship this year for Aug. 5-14. Whether the 3,000 temporary bleacher seats are installed will depend on gatherings and crowd sizes allowed at that time. The Canadian champion advances to the Little League World Series from Aug. 19 to 29 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
鈥淭wo months ago, I would have said we had zero chance [of staging the Canadian tournament],鈥� said Dave Potter, coach of the host Layritz team. 鈥淣ow, I think the national championship will go ahead.鈥�
4. THE WAITING GAME: The Western Hockey League, with the Victoria Royals, and the Island Division teams in the sa国际传媒 Hockey League are hoping it doesn鈥檛 turn into the Crying Game as their indefinitely postponed 2021 seasons hang in the balance. Again, it鈥檚 the over-arching fact of the year that summer and fall sports stand a far better chance of happening than currently delayed winter sports.
5. PACIFIC DREAMS: The Canadian Premier League, which includes Island-based Pacific FC, received well-earned raves for conducting a safe 2020 pro soccer bubble season in Charlottetown. The league is hoping for a more normal 2021 season running from spring into fall. 鈥淚 am definitely more confident now than I was a few months ago,鈥� Pacific FC president Josh Simpson said recently. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting that vaccines are around the corner. I am feeling pretty good about 2021. [And] am hopeful we will see some spectators allowed in the stands. To what extent is the question. From the league to club level, we are looking at all sorts of options.鈥�
6. BATTER UP: The new Nanaimo NightOwls are readying to create an Island derby with the Victoria HarbourCats in the West Coast League of baseball starting this season. The witty third jersey, featuring a Nanaimo Bar, has garnered much attention.
The NightOwls are due to open June 1 against the AppleSox in Wenatchee, Washington, with the first WCL home game in franchise history on June 8 against a fitting opponent, the HarbourCats, at Serauxmen Stadium. Victoria opens on June 1 in Edmonton with the first home game on June 4 at Royal Athletic Park against the Port Angeles Lefties. The 2021 WCL schedule, as drawn, presumes the currently closed sa国际传媒-U.S. border being reopened by June. There are five Canadian franchises if a back-up plan is needed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 six months away. We鈥檙e both confident and cautious,鈥� says Jim Swanson, GM and managing partner of both the HarbourCats and NightOwls. 鈥淭he vaccine rollout will have twists and turns, much like a baseball game. We will follow the guidelines at the time.鈥�
7. BIRDIE OR BOGEY: Which will it be for golf this year? It looks to be birdie with the pro Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour sa国际传媒 preparing to resume this year, with the annual DC Bank Victoria Open presented by the sa国际传媒 scheduled for June 3-6 at Uplands. Victoria sportsman Keith Dagg, the driving force behind the Uplands tournament, said the only question is the status of the sa国际传媒-U.S. border at that point and whether it will be an all-Canadian event or one that will include Americans and other internationals. With the emerging status of Canadian pro golf, Dagg noted an all-Canadian tournament would still be outstanding.
8. QUEST FOR STANLEY: The NHL season begins Jan. 13. Jamie Benn remains a fixture in Dallas and Jordie Benn continues in his home province with the Canucks, but Tyson Barrie and Matt Irwin skate into new environs in Edmonton and Buffalo, respectively, among the contingent of Island players.
9. BOXLA QUANDARY: If the pandemic hangover this year wasn鈥檛 bad enough, the Victoria Shamrocks and Nanaimo Timbermen of the Western Lacrosse Association face an additional wrinkle complicating their returns. The pro National Lacrosse League has pushed its 2021 season from its usual December start to April. That would mean an overlap with the WLA season, which begins in May. The best WLA players also play pro in the NLL. The WLA is considering its options, which may require a later start to its season.
10. VARSITY BLUES: That sums up the mood in a dark U Sports and Canadian colleges season. That should turn to varsity cheers as it is expected the University of Victoria Vikes, Camosun College Chargers and VIU Mariners teams will ramp up to normal or near normal fall seasons. Camosun men鈥檚 volleyball coach Charles Parkinson succinctly assessed the reality of the university and college sports situation in sa国际传媒: 鈥淎t this point, it鈥檚 all about preparation for September.鈥�