Sharp rise in COVID-19 cases leads to cancellation of Sydney to Hobart race

With just a few days to go, the annual Sydney to Hobart sailing race, which normally starts on Boxing Day, has been cancelled due to a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in New South Wales and the northern beaches area of Sydney in particular. The race is the leading event in the Australian sailing calendar and one which always generates a lot of support and media interest.

The race, for which many contestants have already gathered, was cancelled with just six days to go. The organisers said in a statement, “The pandemic that has disrupted sporting events worldwide has now added the great race to its list. We are bitterly disappointed to cancel the race this year, especially considering the plans and preparations we had put in place to have a COVID-safe race,” Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) commodore Noel Cornish said.

“We were so well-prepared to run the race and we’re only six days from the start. This is the first time in 76 years that the race will not be conducted.”

The cancellation of the race is a major disappointment for both New South Wales and Tasmania as being an event at the middle of the Australian summer, it always attracts strong crowds to watch the send-off and the arrival. It was also hoped that the race would provide a boost to the tourism sectors of both states, but this will not now occur. Queensland has shut its border with New South Wales in response to the rise in infections.

The safety of competitors, members and staff of the CYCA was the top priority concern for the club as organisers of the event and made its cancellation inevitable.

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Source: IBI News