At 7:50am local time on Friday, the LOC Gestev sent out a message. Cancelling events is always difficult; the reference to ‘force majeure’ is a necessary legal step in the process.
Cancellation of 2020 Quebec City COOP FIS Cross-Country World Cup
Quebec City, Friday, March 13, 2020 – As the global situation surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, in the last few hours it has come to the attention of Quebec Winter Events Corporation and event producer Gestev that a number of athletes, including Canada’s national team, have been repatriated by their national federations prior to the start of competition, which has unfortunately made it impossible for the event to go ahead. In light of this force majeure situation, the organizing committee regrets that it must cancel the FIS Cross-Country World Cup scheduled for March 13–15 in Quebec City.
“The conditions were perfect and we were ready to roll out the red carpet for all athletes, event partners and the general public with the strictest precautions in place to ensure their health and safety,” said Marianne Pelchat, executive event producer and spokesperson for Gestev. “Until just a few hours ago it looked like it would be possible to hold this world-class competition on the Plains of Abraham this weekend as planned, but we have had to adjust to the rapidly changing situation and the withdrawal of various national teams.”
The organizers would like to thank everyone involved in preparing for this weekend’s events.
