Organisers of the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in the United States of America have cancelled the 2020 edition because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 edition of the competition was slated for 24the to 29th May 2020.
“Scripps National Spelling Bee, USA has determined there is no clear path to safely set a new date for the 2020 edition,” a statement said.
The Spelling Bee is the Ghana affiliate partner of Scripps National Spelling Bee in the USA.
In Ghana, Nadia Mashoud of Alhassan Gbanzaba Memorial School in Tamale emerged as the 2020 winner and was set to compete at the US competition.
“It is with a heavy heart that we reached out to Nadia’s family and school head to break this unfortunate news to them. Whilst we are disappointed, we very well understand and appreciate the circumstances bringing about this cancellation,” the Director of the Young Educators Foundation, Eugenia Tachie-Mensaon said.
“We will continue to engage with Nadia’s family and school, as well as our sponsors to find alternative ways to make her championship year more memorable,” she added.
The competition, which began in 1925 and was last cancelled from 1943 to 1945 because of the second World War II, has always been restricted to elementary and middle-schoolers.
The event had previously been suspended as organisers were hoping to reschedule it for later in the year.
Organisers also considered possibly holding the spelling bee virtually, but “determined there was not a clear path for a virtual event.”