USA Hockey cancels national championships amid coronavirus fears

USA Hockey has canceled its upcoming national championships and disabled festival amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak.

"Safety of our participants has always been our top priority and with the current coronavirus situation, our executive committee unanimously decided to cancel the national championship and disabled festival," USA Hockey president Jim Smith said in a statement Wednesday.

The series of national championship events include high school, youth, girls, adult, and sled that were set to begin in various locations across the country on March 26, according to the Courier-Post's Dave Isaac.

The National Hockey League said in a statement Wednesday that it will continue to consult with medical professionals while evaluating its options.

Several other top-level competitions, including professional hockey leagues in Germany (DEL) and Austria (EBEL), have canceled the remainder of their campaigns due to the outbreak of the virus in Europe.