Connecticut postpones winter high school sports until mid-January

Winter high school sports in Connecticut have been postponed until at least the middle of January amid a statewide spike in positive COVID-19 cases.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) announced on Tuesday following a vote by its Board of Control that practices for winter sports, including basketball, hockey, indoor track, swimming, wrestling and cheer and dance, would begin on Jan. 19, 2021.

Practices for winter high school sports in Connecticut were originally scheduled to begin next week, with competition beginning on Dec. 7. The CIAC’s postponement comes after Gov. Ned Lamont’s office banned the playing of high-risk youth sports such as wrestling for the remainder of 2020 earlier in November. RELATED: Michigan high school sports suspended under new state COVID-19 order The CIAC says it will continue to remain in collaboration with Connecticut’s Department of Public Health, the governor’s office and state medical society’s Committee on the Medical Aspects of Sports leading up to the scheduled Jan. 19 start date for winter sports practices. “CIAC Interscholastic athletics are an education-based experience that maintains in-person learning and the health and safety of our school communities as our top priority,” the CIAC said in a statement. “Today’s action supports our member schools while they continue to manage rising COVID numbers within their communities and experience widespread movements to distance learning.” Connecticut has experienced a COVID-19 spike the last two weeks, as its seven-day rolling coronavirus positivity rate average has risen from 3.6% on Nov. 2 to 5.53% on Nov. 16.