CEBL LOOKING AT SINGLE-SITE TOURNAMENT

TORONTO – The Canadian Elite Basketball League says it is considering a single-site tournament in Ontario as it looks for a way to resume playing after the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the start of its second season.

In a release Friday, the league said it hasn’t ruled out any path to getting back on the court but is currently focused on the tournament option.

“Pertinent to all of our contingency plans, as we announced earlier this month, we formally submitted a request to the federal government for a modest loan of $5 million after determining that our league is ineligible for federal business support programs that had been announced,” the CEBL said. “We are awaiting a decision on our request. We have also been as involved as any professional sports league in the province’s back-to-play planning process for sports organizations. We remain optimistic that CEBL players will be on the court this summer and again, providing world-class pro basketball entertainment to people across Canada.”

Four of the CEBL’s seven teams – Guelph, Hamilton, Niagara (St. Catharines) and Ottawa – are in Ontario. The other teams are based in Saskatoon, Edmonton and Abbotsford, B.C.

(With files from the Canadian Press)