CEBL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PLAY TOURNAMENT IN ONTARIO

The Canadian Elite Basketball League has announced plans to hold a tournament in St. Catharines, Ont., starting next month.

The league said Thursday in a release that all seven of its teams will participate in the event at the Meridian Centre, which is scheduled to start with training camps opening July 15 – subject to the status of Ontario’s reopening plan.

The winner of the round-robin competition will be declared the 2020 CEBL champion.

Teams from Ottawa, Hamilton, Guelph, Edmonton, Saskatchewan (Saskatoon), and Fraser Valley (Abbotsford) would join the hometown Niagara River Lions for the opening of each team’s training camp. The opening date of competition would be July 25.

The league said all seven teams will be accommodated in St. Catharines, playing games at the Meridian Centre, and practising at a nearby facility. They will be separated from the general public, and strict screening and COVID-19 protocols will be adhered to under the supervision of medical officials.

The league announced in April that it was postponing the start of its second season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Canadian Press)