LAWRENCE, Kan.: The Kansas Relays, one of the longest-running track and field events in the country, will be postponed in the spring as the University of Kansas tries to deal with a massive budget shortfall caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The school said in announcing its decision Wednesday that postponing the relays will save at least $300,000 from the Kansas Athletics budget, and perhaps more given the likely COVID-19 testing requirements.
Until last spring, when the coronavirus pandemic began to sweep the country, the Kansas Relays had been held every year since 1923 with two exceptions: the outbreak of World War II led to its cancellation from 1943-45 and renovations in 1998 and 1999 to Memorial Stadium, which is also home to the Jayhawks’ football program.
The Kansas Relays once brought some of the world’s best athletes to Kansas. But in recent years, it has become a showcase for high school and college teams, some of whom still bring Olympic hopefuls on their teams.