IHSA puts winter sports on pause, signals basketball won’t start before January

The Illinois High School Association and Chicago Public Schools have both put the few winter sports that were currently being played on pause.

Bowling, cheer, dance and boy’s swimming and diving are suspended until further notice. The move comes after Governor J.B. Pritzker announced on Tuesday that all youth indoor sports should be put on hold as part of his COVID-19 mitigations.

The IHSA board will meet on Thursday to “continue plotting out potential paths for IHSA sports through the remainder of the school year” according to a statement.

The IHSA invited representatives from Pritzker’s office and the IDPH to Thursday’s meeting but the invitation was declined.

“Although representatives from the Governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health will be unable to attend the meeting, today’s updated guidance from Governor Pritzker will aid the Board’s decision-making,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said “We have asked Deputy Governor Ruiz and Dr. Ezike to engage with us in the near future, so that we can collaborate on developing a plan to safely conduct IHSA sports and activities as soon as possible.”

Anderson’s statement also referenced “creating participation opportunities in the new year for student athletes” so it appears the IHSA will not push to start basketball before January.