20th December 2020
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has started from Sydney Harbour every year since 1945.
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has announced its 76th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will not be proceeding in 2020.
The impact of COVID-19 that has disrupted sporting events around the globe for so much of the year has added the Great Race to its list.
CYCA Commodore, Noel Cornish AM said, “We are bitterly disappointed to cancel the Race this year especially considering the plans and preparations we had put in place to have a COVID Safe race”.
“We were so well prepared to run the race and we’re only six days from the start. This is the first time in 76 years that the race will not be conducted”.
There are fears thousands of Sydneysiders have been exposed to COVID-19 following an outbreak in the Northern Beaches, as the list of potentially infected locations soars to 70 across the city.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned on Saturday afternoon she could tighten coronavirus restrictions within 24 hours if the outbreak worsened as her state battles 41 community cases less than a week out from Christmas.
On Saturday night, the situation did get worse.
A NSW Health alert revealed positive COVID-19 cases travelled beyond the Northern Beaches and into the inner-city, inner west and western suburbs.
NSW Health s terrifying list of potentially infected locations has soared to 70. This map highlights Homebush, St Peters, Erskineville and Surry Hills among the newly identified
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He confirmed no exceptions would be made for the Sydney to Hobart race, admitting that would make it very difficult for organisers to go ahead with the marquee event.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein
However, the race had already been in extreme doubt.
Earlier in the day NSW Health announced a further 23 COVID-19 cases, prompting the state government to enforce a lockdown in Sydney s Northern Beaches area from 5pm Saturday until midnight on Wednesday.
Around 150 sailors registered for the event - about a third of the fleet s crew - are in that hot spot area and not allowed to travel to Tasmania at all.
Sydney to Hobart yacht race cancelled following Tasmania COVID-19 quarantine decision
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The Sydney to Hobart yacht race has been cancelled after the Tasmanian government s decision to impose a 14-day quarantine period for travellers from greater Sydney.
The 150 registered sailors had been on tenterhooks as COVID-19 threatened to scupper the famous race for the first time in 75 years.
And those fears became reality on Saturday night as race organisers pulled the pin as Sydney s virus outbreak worsened.
FULL STATEMENT BELOW
It is with great regret that the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia announces that the 76th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will not be proceeding in 2020.