The PIAA has officially canceled the 2020 spring sports season, including the outdoor track and field season.
The PIAA made the official decision in a press release on Thursday afternoon, hours after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that all PA schools would be closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"Today's decision by the PIAA Board of Directors was difficult for everyone," said PIAA Executive Director Dr. Robert A. Lombardi in the released statement. "Their thoughts remain on the thousands of student-athletes, coaches, officials, and family members affected by this decision.
"However, the Board's position reflects a steadfast priority of keeping our student-athletes, officials and member schools' staffs and their communities safe, while following the guidelines provided by the Governor, the Department of Health, and the Department of Education," Lombardi's statement continued.
In addition to the spring sports season, the PIAA also canceled the remaining winter sports championships that were in progress when COVID-19 began to spread more rapidly.
The decision comes after the first four weeks of the spring season had already been postponed. With Wolf's decision to cancel in-person learning for the rest of the school year, the PIAA followed suit with the cancelation of the rest of the spring sports season.