All university sports are suspended, but Western says athletes will still get their scholarships

Varsity sports across Ontario have been suspended until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Western University says its student will still get their scholarships, even though they won't be representing their school in competitions this fall. 

Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced Monday that sports programming would be suspended for the rest of the year in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

It means an abrupt end to the season before it even began for 20,000 student athletes, including teams in golf, tennis, baseball, lacrosse, rowing, field hockey, soccer, football and water polo, all of which were hoping for a chance to compete in OUA or U Sports championships this fall. 

"This is by far the most challenging and disappointing news I've had to share with coaches and then with student athletes," said Christine Stapleton, Western University's director of sport and recreation services. 

"They're very disappointed but in some sense they understand because of the uncertainty related to this virus."

However while that uncertainty might permeate the season, it won't extend to the student athletes themselves when it comes to their hard-earned scholarships, Stapleton said.

U Sport, the national governing body of varsity sport in Canada is making an exception this year. As long as students fulfil their academic requirements, they're still eligible for their scholarships. 

Varsity officials still trying to figure out what can be done safely

While they can still attend school, many students must now face the reality that their seasons could be confined to training this year, rather than actual competition.

"That will be the challenge for our Western Mustangs this fall, is to be patient," she said. 

Stapleton said athletes are still keen to stay on top of their game, even with the season on hiatus. Many of them are still doing strength and conditioning training in groups, albeit at a physical distance or over an internet connection. 

Coaches and trainers are still getting one-on-one time with their players, but like the group training, only if it meets the proper safety protocols, Stapleton said. 

Part of the reason why varsity officials won't allow competition yet is a debate over which sports put people at the highest risk, and how.

While everyone might agree that a game such as football or rugby, both sports that involve close contact with other players, is a high-risk activity in the pandemic, not everyone agrees on running. 

If two athletes don't touch, can they still run beside each other at a physically-distanced two metres, so long as they wear masks? Stapleton said the jury is still out and it's not the only unknown.  

"These are the challenges. You ask about why the decision, that's a piece of it. How do athletes compete and train in a safe way with a mask on? These are all of the things we are trying to sort through and work through."

Homecoming will be drastically reshaped by the coronavirus

Virus-proofing the action on the field is a long way off, much like virus-proofing sports facilities themselves. Even sitting in the stands at a venue, such as TD stadium comes with risks.

Questions remain over whether the air itself, shared by thousands of people for hours at the big game, is actually safe in the pandemic. In response, Western announced in May it would hold a virtual Homecoming this October.

What that will look like is still unclear, Stapleton said, but the school is looking at ways to preserve the fan experience, so that alumni can still don their purple jerseys and feel the buzz before the big game, even if it's without the crowd. 

"We're working on that right now, how to provide a safe space through the virtual Homecoming at Western, where our sport and alumni can come together," she said. 

Stapleton said that could include a virtual tailgate, which is still under development in terms of what exactly it will look like. 

"I don't know more about it. They're doing the research on it now," she said.