Little League World Series Canceled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

For the first time in its organization's history, the Little League World Series has been canceled. 

Little League International announced its decision to cancel its famed annual event as well as all region tournaments on Thursday.

“This is a heartbreaking decision for everyone at Little League International, but more so for those millions of Little Leaguers who have dreamt of one day playing in one of our seven World Series events,” Stephen D. Keener, Little League president and CEO, said in a statement. “After exhausting all possible options, we came to the conclusion that because of the significant public health uncertainty that will still exist several months from now...it will not be possible to proceed with our tournaments as we’ve hosted them for nearly 75 years.”

Per the organization's release, the inability to play qualifying tournaments, global limitations and potential issues regarding testing were among the reasons why the decision was made.

As a result of their decision, the August 23 Red Sox-Orioles game scheduled to be held in Williamsport has also been canceled. 

The LLWS' decision comes less than a week after the Cape Cod League, an annual summer showcase for the nation's top collegiate players, announced it was canceling its summer season. 

There are more than 3.1 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, causing at least 229,000 deaths. There are more than one million confirmed cases in the United States.