Pac-12 Conference announces postponement of competitions until next year

The Pac-12 Conference on Tuesday announced that it will postpone competitions for the remainder of 2020.

"The decision was made after consultation with athletics directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee who expressed concern with moving forward with contact practice," according to the announcement. 

"Our athletic programs are a part of broader campuses in communities where in many cases the prevalence of COVID-19 is significant. We will continue to monitor the situation and when conditions change we will be ready to explore all options to play the impacted sports in the new calendar year," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. 

"We know that this is a difficult day for our student-athletes, and our hearts go out to them and their families," he said. "We have made clear that all of their scholarships will be guaranteed, and that as a Conference we are strongly encouraging the NCAA to grant them an additional year of eligibility."

The news came on the same day that the Big Ten Conference made a postponement announcement about the 2020-2021 fall season.

There have been more than 5.1 million coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 164,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.