WGI World Championships Cancelled

[ilikeguard]

WGI World Championship Statement

At the direction of Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health, and in consultation with the Ohio Department of Health, and Governor DeWine, WGI Sport of the Arts is canceling the 2020 WGI World Championships for Color Guard, Percussion, and Winds.

The numbers involved in an event of this magnitude urge caution in light of recent national and international health concerns. Over nine days of competition, groups from 41 states and five countries would travel with over 16,000 participants.

While we are deeply saddened to cancel these prestigious events, our priority is, and always has been the health and well-being of all those involved with our organization.

Creating opportunities for young people is the foundation of WGI. The world championships are the culmination of a competitive season and this will mark the first time in 43 years this tradition of excellence will be interrupted by an unprecedented situation.

We are grateful for the support and guidance of Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health as well as Greene, Hamilton, and Campbell counties in arriving at a decision in the best interest of all parties.

Although it’s true the 2020 WGI World Championships will not take place as we hoped, WGI as an organization will continue our mission - to provide a venue for young people to achieve the extraordinary through performance and competition.

Over the coming weeks WGI will be working to untangle the complexities of this situation and we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Regarding Refunds:

Entry fees - WGI will offer all groups registered for the 2020 World Championships a credit to be used towards any 2021 event entry fee, or a full refund issued upon request.
Backside ticket orders - Full refunds will be processed within the next 30 days and/or those invoices will be voided if currently unpaid.

WGI organized practice facilities - Full refunds will be processed within the next 30 days and/or those invoices will be voided if currently unpaid.

All spectator tickets - We will be announcing refund plans within the next 48 hours.

[drumcorpsgeek]

😢😢😢😢😢

[bearscott85]

Will other events be cx?

[ilikeguard]

Mar 11, 2020 15:30:36 GMT -6 bearscott85 said:

Will other events be cx?

Seeing as this decision was prompted by the county and not WGI, I would assume it will be a case to case basis. I'm signed in as an editor on the WGI Facebook because of my volunteer position last week, and it's been getting plenty of angry messages from parents and fans both before the cancellation announcement and after. 

It sounds like local circuit championships will be the season culmination for a lot of groups. 

[Leasingflyer]

So basically, the current standings are the closest we can get to wgi world final scores 😞

[ilikeguard]

Mar 11, 2020 16:03:01 GMT -6 Leasingflyer said:

So basically, the current standings are the closest we can get to wgi world final scores 😞

I would give that to local/state circuits and adjust for score inflation if we were actually pursuing a final ranking for this season

[bearscott85]

I guess we will see if wgi will still hold the regionals?

[Leasingflyer]

Mar 11, 2020 16:15:21 GMT -6 bearscott85 said:

I guess we will see if wgi will still hold the regionals?

I think they still are? I could be wrong though

[indyguard]

wgi board is making a decision at 9pm tonight about remaining competitions

[Leasingflyer]

Even though I’m really bummed about the cancellation, I respect WGI because they made a decision that I’m sure was very very hard for them. I mean, canceling the biggest competition of the wgi season is a lot to swallow. Not to mention the amount of money they will lose. In the end I really want them to at least postpone it(even though that might be too hard to do) but I have respect for the purpose.

[Leasingflyer]

My biggest concern is for the seniors and age outs. A lot of people are demanding an extra year for the people aging out this year but some people complain that making an extra year won’t work. I just hate to see that happen ;( . Nobody should go through this.

[thewho]

I applaud WGI for making the right call. Very difficult decision, but certainly the right one for multitudes of reasons... most important of all being protective of their participants.

[ilikeguard]

All other events have now been suspended as well.

[indyguard]

Not wgi related but apparently IHSCGA has canceled state finals at Center Grove HS, praying this is not true but at this point you never know.