(MAY 14) Colorado Springs, Colo. – USA Boxing’s Executive Director Mike McAtee announced on May 1st,  the 2020 National Junior Olympics, which were recently postponed to August, in Lubbock, Texas and the 2020 Eastern Qualifier, scheduled this September in Norfolk, Va., were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation. McAtee also announced USA Boxing is hopeful that the 2020 National Championships will be the return to national competition this December in Lake Charles, La.

“With the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, our number one priority continues to be the health and safety of all members,” stated McAtee. “Based on our three guiding principles and tiers of returning to competition, we feel it is best to cancel these two national tournaments and turn our focus on returning to local and regional competitions, with hopes of returning to the national stage this December in Lake Charles.”

“Due to the opening of gyms throughout our country at different times and phases, we feel hosting a national tournament would not be fair for our members,” said USA Boxing Events and Operations Manager Mike Campbell. “We hope to turn our focus to helping our local and regional tournaments to provide more opportunities for everyone to prepare for our return to national competition later this year.”

With the cancellation of these two national tournaments, as well as the Western Qualifier earlier this year, the National Championships will be an open tournament for all divisions from pee-wee to elite. The tournament will serve as the qualifying tournament to USA Boxing’s 2021 High Performance teams for junior, youth and elite boxers. Full Athlete Selection Procedures will be released in the future.

The National Championships will once again be held at the Lake Charles Civic Center, which held last year’s USA Boxing National Championships and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing.

“The entire hospitality community along with boxing fans across Southwest Louisiana joined together to support USA Boxing this past December, and it is an honor for Lake Charles to be named as the host city for the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships,” stated Eric Zartler, Sales Director of Visit Lake Charles.

“Preparing for an event like this is only possible with strong partnerships that we have in Calcasieu Parish from municipalities, governmental agencies, partners in tourism, media professionals, dedicated volunteers and the enthusiastic sports fanbase in Southwest Louisiana. We are all looking forward to showing USA Boxing athletes our unique brand of Southern Hospitality – with a Cajun/Creole twist!”

Continue to check USABoxing.org and USA Boxing’s social media platforms for additional information in the coming weeks.