2020 Pokemon Europe International Championships Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns

Over the past few months, several major gaming events (Pokemon related or otherwise) have been canceled or postponed due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus situation.

The latest in this string of cancellations is the 2020 Pokemon Europe International Championships, as announced in a statement on Pokemon.com. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of competitors, organizers, and fans, The Pokemon Company has moved to cancel the event.

“The safety and well-being of our community, both competitors and organizers, is our top priority. While we prefer never to see an event get postponed or canceled, out of an abundance of caution and pursuant to the current recommendations set forth by public health officials, we have canceled the 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships.

We want to thank the Play! Pokémon community for its continued interest in our competitive events and appreciate everyone’s support and understanding during these unique circumstances. Please visit https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/ or follow @PlayPokemon on Twitter for updates and more information on Play! Pokémon events. If you have additional questions, please contact Pokémon Customer Service.

That said, it seems that the Pokemon Company is still planning to move ahead with certain events, although additional precautions will be taken. This includes providing hand-sanitizers at the event, ensuring the area is clean and disinfected, as well as removing the handshake requirements for competitors. More details can be found in the main announcement page here.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.