Today the Netherlands government, in coordination with the Netherlands Olympic Committee, decided that all sports events will be canceled until the end of this month. This includes training and preparation activities.

While the U19 OEKC is starting 10 days after this period ends, the disruption in sports is huge. It is not at all unlikely that this period will be extended. Moreover, travel restrictions in Europe are increasing day-by-day, and a number of countries have imposed travel restrictions on the Netherlands. Effectively, this current decision of the Netherlands government, along with multiple decisions of other governments implies that the U19 Open European Korfball Championship unfortunately will need to be canceled on the earlier announced dates of 10-12 April 2020. The International Korfball Federation and the Royal Dutch Korfball Association have jointly concluded this today. We will review in due course whether an option can be created to organise the championship at a later date. At this stage, however, this is unclear and no commitment can be made for that.

We realise that on the one hand the cancelation of this event is a major disappointment for the athletes and officials that have been preparing for this event for such a long time. At the same time, health considerations are critical, not only for our athletes and officials, but also in relation to our joint responsibility to combat this virus.

We would like to thank the KNKV and the Local Organising Committee for the extensive efforts they have conducted in the preparations of this event.