2020 HAECO INVITATIONAL CANCELED

DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

For immediate release. Sept. 9, 2020

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Sports Council board of directors is canceling the 2020 HAECO Invitational, the Council announced today. The 45th annual HAECO Invitational was set for Dec. 26, 28 and 29, 2020 at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced recently that high school basketball would begin in early January, more than a week after the HAECO Invitational was scheduled, making it impossible for the tournament to be contested during its traditional dates. Dates later in the season were considered, but the Board of Directors quickly reached consensus on canceling the tournament during its September meeting due to scheduling challenges and uncertainty around capacity limits. Unlike professional and college sports, the board concluded that the tournament could not be played without fans because ticket sales and corporate partnerships raise the funds that are donated to charities and the participating schools after each tournament.

“We are certainly disappointed to announce that, for the first time since 1975, the HAECO Invitational will not be played,” Greensboro Sports Council president Frankie Jones, Jr., said. “The NCHSAA schedule for starting the high school basketball season essentially made the cancellation of the tournament a foregone conclusion, but that did not make our decision any easier.

“This holiday tournament has been an important part of the Greensboro community for more than four decades, so it was not a decision we took lightly. While we are unable to play this year’s tournament, we look forward to the return of this annual holiday tradition next year. We certainly thank our partners at HAECO Americas for understanding and supporting this decision.”

The 45th HAECO Invitational is now set for December 27-29, 2021.

The HAECO Invitational is an annual high school basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational, the tournament features men’s and women’s teams representing eight Guilford County high schools playing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Tournament proceeds are donated to local charities and the participating schools; the HAECO Invitational is planned and implemented by the Greensboro Sports Council. For more information, please visit www.HAECOInvitational.com and follow the event on Twitter: @HAECOinvit and www.facebook.com/HAECOInvitational.

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