Pandemic Causes National Spelling Bee to be Cancelled
The National Spelling Bee has been canceled for the first time since 1945 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to WOOD, the last time the Scripps National Spelling Bee was canceled was 1943-1945 because of World War II.
Like school, its just unsafe to group large numbers of people together in order to have the National Spelling Bee. My guess the reason for not doing the competition virtually could be because of the possibility of cheating.
Not being able to set a date for 2020 where organizers felt the event could be done safely has led Scripps to cancel for this year.
Kids generally compete in the spelling bee up to the eighth grade at a convention center just outside Washington. Next year's spelling bee is set up for June 1-3, 2021.
ESPN has been televising the event since 1994. No word if they will run a repeat this year.
The top 150 spellers who were set to compete in the finals will still be recognized for making winning in their respective regions.