Ohio Gov. DeWine recommends indoor games to be played without spectators
Mike DeWine, the governor of Ohio, recommended on Tuesday that indoor athletic events should take place without spectators for the time being. He added that the outdoor games could continue on their scheduled time. DeWine tweeted on Tuesday, “For indoor events, we are asking for no events with spectators.”
According to DeWine, there is no need for spectators at the stadium other than the athletes, parents, and essential people. He said that outdoor events could continue right now. Ohio is going to host the NCCA tournament games next week. The recommendations of DeWine come before the tournament. The first four play-in games of the tournament will be hosted by the University of Dayton on Mar. 17 and 18.
According to the NCAA management, the first and second-round games of the tournament will be hosted by Cleveland on March 20 and 22. The NCCA officials have not responded to the recommendation of the governor yet. The Mid-American Conference is going to host its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments this weekend. The Conference announced that it would follow the recommendations of the governor.
According to the Conference, the tournaments will be limited to the team representatives, family members of the players, and media officials. The State Basketball Championship games will also be hosted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association in Columbus this weekend. The Association said that the basketball games would be held without spectators from Wednesday onwards. According to the OHSAA, they will allow the spectators to watch the boys’ basketball games on Tuesday.
Jerry Snodgrass, the executive director of the OHSAA, said, “This will be a very difficult time for our schools and fans, but we cannot ignore the directive of the Governor.” Snodgrass added that they would determine soon who could attend the sports events. The immediate family members of the athletes will more likely to be allowed to be the spectators.
