For the first time in its 75-year history, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cancellation of the event, typically held during the week after Memorial Day weekend in Oxon Hill, Md., was announced Tuesday by its organizers, who said there was “no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020” with a postponement.
As a result, eighth grade students will lose their last year of eligibility for the national finals.
“Our hearts go out to the spellers who won’t get their final shot at winning because of the pandemic and the difficult decisions it is prompting us to make,” Paige Kimble, the bee’s executive director, said in a statement.