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Prince George to now host Canada's best native fastball teams in 2022 due to COVID-19

This is the second postponement during pandemic after city awarded event in 2020
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer

Postponed again.

The next Canadian Native Fastball Championships (CNFC) are set to take place at Spruce City Stadium in Prince George, but now it won't be until the late summer of 2022.

Tourism Prince George announced today (April 14) the three-day tournament will be postponed another year due to COVID-19 and its continued financial implications.

In a release from the organization, the CNFC committee says it would be difficult for organizers and teams to effectively fundraise leading up to the event, taking the economic downturn of the pandemic into consideration.

"We recognize that the recent vaccinations have improved possibilities. However, time constraints do not allow us to host a successful event," the committee explains.

"We strongly feel that participating teams and fans deserve a better quality event than we can currently deliver."

The championships were first postponed in May 2020 near the beginning of COVID-19. The new dates were set for July 31 to Aug. 2 this year.

The City of Prince George supports the decision to postpone the tournament until 2022

Whenever it's played safely and granted approval based on public health guidelines, the 46th edition of the Canadian Native Fastball Championships will be the fourth time it visits Prince George, having also hosted in 1994, 2004 and 2016.

It’s an open tournament for Indigenous athletes across Canada, consisting of six divisions, 80 teams and 1,200 athletes.

The Big Guy River Kings, the local Prince George-based fastball team, competed in COVID-safe events across B.C. last summer while protocols were in place, winning two of four tournaments.

The Spruce City Men's Fastball League was also able to host a shortened five-team season while following COVID-19 protocols of the time.