LONDON, ONT. -- The OUA and OCAA both announced the cancellation of fall sports programming and championships up to December 31st, 2020.

“It is really unfortunate. I mean, we’re all fans, right. We do this for a living, but we do this because we’re passionate about sports,” says OUA President & CEO Gord Grace.

“This was very very difficult for all of our athletic directors and our board members to come to this decision, but we do think it’s the right decision, we think it’s in the best interest of our students.”

All sports that begin in the fall are effected, including golf. Which is a disappointment for current team MVP Jackson Bowery

“It sucks, i’ll be honest with you, i kinda saw it coming for awhile now, but it doesn’t soften the blow at all.”

Bowery was and continues to hope he will get to play one more time for Western before graduating next spring.

“Fingers are still crossed for us, cause our nationals don’t take place until the spring.”

Grace says a decision on winter and spring sports will be made later in the year.

“If there is a second wave, we have to see how bad it is, and it could impact what we do in the new year.”

Mustang play by play announcer Tom McConnell has been around Western Football for over three decades, he understands why that sport in particular would be hard to proceed with, during the COVID-19 pandemic,

“Football is really difficult to do with any sort of physical or social distancing. And the OUA lets be honest, OUA and the U-Sports, they can’t afford to test every player before every practise.”

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association also announced its fall schedule would be suspended,

"The safety of the entire OCAA membership and our participants is our top priority,” OCAA President Nathan McFadden said in a release.

“But we understand and share the deep disappointment this especially causes for our 4,000 student-athletes. We will get through this, and when we resume competition, the viability of the OCAA will be more important than ever before in uniting both our campuses and communities together in sport."

Both organizations are planning to return to action in 2021, depending on if the pandemic allows.