This is a message that we never thought we would have to deliver: the WRO international final, which was going to take place in Montréal, Canada, has been cancelled.

The decision was hard, but it was made because our biggest commitment is the safety and health of our community during the COVID-19 outbreak. We have also taken into account the challenges of hosting during a time where many countries have to cancel physical events, have travel restrictions in place and guidelines for social distancing. Both WRO Association and the host country are behind the decision. National organizer in Canada Dominic Bruneau says:

”It is with great disappointment that we have to cancel the international final that was to be held in Canada. We were looking forward to welcoming you to our beautiful city of Montreal to experience WRO 2020. We hope that you will continue to solve the Climate Squad challenges. When this crisis is over, the climate emergency will come back to the forefront and we will need your solutions and creativity.”

Impact on 2020 season

Other international events which have been cancelled are the three Friendship Invitationals in China, Italy and the USA, as they face the same challenges as the international final.

The national organizers are responsible for events on a national level. To discover which events will take place, contact the national organizer in your country.

The right thing to do

There are many reasons why cancelling the WRO final is the right thing to do. Health and safety of teams and people around them is number one. Also, all our member countries have trouble organizing physical events because of uncertainty, social distancing, closed schools and lockdowns. All of this makes it hard to do competitions and qualify for international events. We can only make plans if there is certainty, and right now nothing is certain. Stopping now also means that national organizers can save costs.

WRO Association will use this time to work on competition categories and make World Robot Olympiad even better. We will look into ways to keep our global community involved. And we will reach out to our national organizers to hear their ideas and work to bring young people together online, so they can continue to develop their creativity, design and problem solving skills.
 

For more information

The message above only relates to international events. For national events, contact your national organizer for information.

Find your national organizer here.
 

Key takeaways

  • The international final has been cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak

  • The three Friendship Invitationals in China, Italy and the USA, has also been cancelled

  • For information regarding the WRO2020 season in your country, contact your national organizer.