Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls may get to hold one of the biggest track and field meets in the United States this summer, that’s if the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation decides to move forward with having its event take place.
Originally, the 2020 NSAF Outdoor Nationals, which consists of more than 7,000 high school and middle school track and field athletes from all over the nation, was scheduled to take place at North Carolina A&T State University. However, because of the pandemic, the school campus in the ‘Tar Heel State’ won’t open back up until at least the end of August. This means that no events can take place at North Carolina A&T State University, which includes the NSAF Outdoor Nationals in late July.
Just because the National Scholastic Athletics Foundations has approved Howard Wood Field as its alternative location for the event, the NSAF Board of Directors still needs to approve whether or not the event will take place. They hope to have a decision by June 15th on if they’ll cancel it or not.
According to the NSAF press release, “the decision will be based on a number of factors, including the following.”
- Compliance with USATF sanctions and guidelines, which are intended to ensure the maximum safety and well-being of athletes, officials, and spectators.
- The advice and recommendations from our NSAF Medical Director, based on consultation with various government and private infectious disease experts, including those at the CDC.
- The ability of Sioux Falls to implement protocols required to ensure the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators.
Howard Wood Field has a capacity of 10,000 seats. It’s highly doubtful at the current time that the city of Sioux Falls would allow the event to go on with full capacity in the stands.
This would be the 30th annual NSAF Outdoor Nationals event. It’s currently scheduled to take place July 30-August 2.
