As March Madness ramps up at the same time as the CoVid-19 cornonavirus, the ruling body for Michigan High School sports say they will not ban, but limit, spectators at state tournament events.

The MHSAA on Thursday morning (March 12) released a statement saying they will allow a limited number of spectators from this point forward in several ongoing state tournaments.

On their web page, the organization says a 'limited number of spectators, as determined by the participating schools' will be allowed in to the state girls and boys basketball tournaments, beginning with tonight's Girls Regional Finals and tomorrow's Boys District Finals.

Spectators WILL be banned from this weekend's swimming and diving finals in Holland and at Oakland University. Those finals will be streamed via the MHSAA web site.

Postseason events sponsored by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and scheduled for March 12-14 will be conducted as scheduled. However, attendance will be restricted at all events through this weekend, with updates to be announced Monday, March 16, for the remainder of the girls and boys basketball tournaments.

The MHSAA Ice Hockey Semifinals and Finals will be played March 12-14 at USA Hockey Arena, with Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming & Diving Finals beginning Friday, March 13 and concluding March 14 at Oakland University and Holland Aquatic Center. Girls Gymnastics at Rockford High School also will be competed Friday and Saturday this weekend. Girls Basketball Regionals Finals are scheduled for tonight, March 12, across the state, as are Boys District Finals on Friday, March 13.

Based on recommendations from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer suggesting attendance limitations, no spectators will be allowed for the three Swimming & Diving Finals, both days, or Saturday’s Girls Gymnastics Individual Finals. These events have the highest number of participants of this weekend’s events.

However, for Hockey Semifinals and Finals and Gymnastics Team Finals – events with far fewer participants – a limited number of spectators will be allowed, as determined by participating schools, to include only parents, legal guardians and essential administrators. Basketball games during the next two days also will allow only limited spectators, as determined by participating schools and following these same restrictions.  Each competing school will provide the entry list of parents, legal guardians and essential administrators to the host site prior to each contest.

CREDENTIALED MHSAA MEDIA WILL STILL BE PERMITTED AT EVENTS

To recap, here is a breakdown of sport-by-sport attendance and broadcast stipulations.

Boys Swimming & Diving Finals
Rounds: Preliminaries on March 13, Finals on March 14
Attendance: No onsite spectators allowed.
Broadcast: Live streaming of prelims and Finals on MHSAA.tv.

Girls Gymnastics Finals
Rounds: Team Finals on March 13, Individual Finals on March 14
Attendance: Limited to parents, legal guardians and essential administrators on March 13. No onsite spectators allowed March 14.
Broadcast: Live streaming of Team and Individual Finals on MHSAA.tv.

Boys Ice Hockey Semifinals and Finals
Rounds: Semifinals on March 12-13, Finals on March 14
Attendance: Limited to parents, legal guardians and essential administrators.
Broadcast: Live streaming of all nine games on MHSAA.tv.

Girls Basketball Regional Finals
Rounds: All scheduled for March 12.
Attendance: Limited to parents, legal guardians and essential administrators.
Broadcast: Live streaming of some games, with subscription, on MHSAA.tv.

Boys Basketball District Finals
Rounds: All scheduled for March 13.
Attendance: Limited to parents, legal guardians and essential administrators.
Broadcast: Live streaming of some games, with subscription, on MHSAA.tv.

Bands, cheerleaders and gatherings in parking lots or elsewhere on-site will not be allowed. Restrictions on noisemakers, etc., will continue to be upheld for those fans who will attend.

For those allowed to be present, there will be no admission charged at any of these five events. Online ticket sales have been stopped, and all tickets that have been purchased are voided and will be fully refunded.

Fans not allowed to attend will have the opportunity to watch coverage of all three of this weekend’s Finals live on MHSAA.tv. Complete streaming of all nine Hockey Semifinals and Finals games is scheduled, as is streaming of both the Team and Individual Gymnastics Finals and both preliminaries and Finals for swimming & diving. MHSAA.tv also will carry a number of girls and boys basketball games this weekend as part of its usual subscription coverage by members of the School Broadcast Program.

The streaming of all three divisions of the MHSAA Swimming & Diving Finals and both Team and Individual Gymnastics Finals will be provided FREE OF CHARGE.  More details about access to these free feeds will be provided in the next update this afternoon.

This remains a fluid situation, and another update will be released here today, March 12, at 2 p.m.

 

 

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