For the first time since 1969, there will be no Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament this year.

The 2020 edition of KIBIHT has been claimed by COVID-19, according to an announcement from the Board of Directors.  Chairman Jan Antons says there are too many hurdles to overcome to safely host the event during the pandemic.

“We were trying to host the event but COVID has hit everybody hard. It basically came down to a safety decision. We just can’t predict what’s going to happen and when some of the restrictions would be removed,” he told NL Sports.

“When you look at American teams travelling and even the Canadian teams coming by bus. It’s all very difficult to coordinate and plan with different rules in the provinces,” he added.

The tournament was scheduled to take place between December 30, 2020 and January 3, 2021.

Antons says he understands the tournament’s long history and notes they’re now going to focus on hosting a top tier event in 2021-22.

Covid-19 claims another event… Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament chair Jan Antons confirms to @RadioNLNews this year’s event (Dec 30-Jan 3) has been cancelled. Longest running bantam tourney has had ups and downs but never called off. #Kamloops pic.twitter.com/ipAgEHs0ys

— Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) September 15, 2020