Polynesian Bowl falls victim to COVID-19

Lost in Thursday’s Aloha Stadium shuffle was the early morning announcement that COVID-19 had forced the cancellation of the 2021 Polynesian Bowl.

Just four hours later, talk began circulating that Aloha Stadium itself had fallen victim to the virus as well, leaving in doubt whether the Polynesian Bowl will ever see those Honolulu lights again.

The high school football all-star game was to be played on Jan. 16 in the old rust bucket, but it had become apparent in recent weeks that the outbreak of the virus on the mainland and locally were too much to overcome.

“Over the past several months, we have been working closely with State of Hawaii officials in order to host a safe and successful Polynesian Bowl,” a post on the Polynesian Bowl website read. “Due to the recent U.S. surge in COVID-19 cases, the complex state-by-state pre-testing and quarantine requirements for travelers and, most importantly, concern for the health and safety of our athletes, coaches and staff, we have made the very difficult decision not to play in 2021.

“We look forward to a better than ever 2022, where the world’s top high school football players will once again gather in Hawaii to celebrate culture and play the game they love.”

It had been expected that the game would return in 2022, but with Thursday’s announcement by stadium officials that no new events would be scheduled for the foreseeable future, it begs the question where would the game go if Aloha Stadium is closed for good?