Ivy League Won't Play Any Sports in 2020; No Date Set for Return

The Ivy League is hopeful it can move fall sports to the spring of 2021, per The Athletic's Dana O'Neil.

The Ivy League voted on Wednesday to postpone all fall sports, with no date set for resuming the conference's athletic events.

Consistent with campus health & safety policies across the League, The Ivy League Presidents outline phased-in approach to intercollegiate athletics activity, including no competition prior to the end of the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

📰» https://t.co/7iwQGnECsT pic.twitter.com/DYUFoFshA4

— Ivy League (@IvyLeague) July 8, 2020

The conference hopes it can move fall sports to the spring, including football, per The Athletic's Dana O'Neil. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein added on Wednesday that the Ivy League "will not entertain any sports being played until after January 1."

Winter sports such as college basketball, which is scheduled to begin nationwide in early November, are likely to see their calendars shifted as a result of the Ivy League's decision.

Sources: Ivy League programs have been informed that fall sports have been cancelled.

The conference will not entertain any sports being played until after January 1st.

Winter sports will have an update in mid-July on their respective practice schedules.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 8, 2020

The league becomes the first Division I conference to reach such a decision on fall sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, Division III's Centennial Conference announced it will suspend all sporting events in the fall and may explore moving fall sports, including football, to the spring. Smaller college football programs, including Division II's Morehouse and a handful of Division III schools, have canceled their seasons. With the Ivy League postponing fall sports, there's a possibility other conferences could follow suit.

In mid-March, the league made headlines when it canceled its men's and women's basketball conference tournaments due to coronavirus concerns. Many people were alarmed by the decision but quickly realized it was the right call as the pandemic worsened. Other conferences began nixing their tournaments as well, and the NCAA canceled March Madness only two days after the Ivy League's actions.

Many unanswered questions remain in the NCAA regarding the 2020 football schedule and player health and safety. The season is set to start in under two months, but some programs like Houston and Kansas have been forced to suspend voluntary workouts amid spikes in COVID-19 cases.

While football programs face decisions about camps and the season, schools must also make tough choices about coronavirus testing protocols and bringing students back on campuses. Harvard announced Monday it will bring only 40% of undergraduates on campus for the fall semester, and the remaining students will learn remotely.