2020 Europe International Championships Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Pokemon has announced that the 2020 European International Championship has been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.

At this time, Pokemon has not cancelled the North America International Championships or Worlds in London. However, they are monitoring the situation.

The announcement follows tournament cancellations in Japan through May.

You can read The Pokemon Company International’s full statement here:

The safety and well-being of our community, both competitors and organizers, is our top priority. While we prefer never to see an event get postponed or canceled, out of an abundance of caution and pursuant to the current recommendations set forth by public health officials, we have canceled the 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships. We want to thank the Play! Pokémon community for its continued interest in our competitive events and appreciate everyone’s support and understanding during these unique circumstances.

What Play! Pokémon events are canceled due to COVID-19 concerns?

The 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships have been canceled out of an abundance of caution and pursuant to the current recommendations set forth by public health officials.

Players should check with their local organizers for the latest information about events in their area. These organizers are independent of Pokémon and act in the best interest of their event, including always being mindful of the safety of participants.

For the events directly organized by The Pokémon Company International, we examine each event on a case-by-case basis, informed by the latest updates issued by appropriate government and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Currently, there are no plans to postpone or cancel the 2020 Pokémon North America International Championships or 2020 Pokémon World Championships. However, we are closely monitoring the situation and will keep the community updated in real time on our website and @PlayPokemon should circumstances change. If you have additional questions, please contact Pokémon Customer Service.

We strongly advise all attendees, volunteers, and organizers follow the guidelines and protocols issued by the WHO regarding health and wellness while attending mass gatherings.

Should I be concerned about COVID-19 at Play! Pokémon events?

While there have been no reports directly linking any cases of the virus with our events, the safety and well-being of our community, both competitors and organizers, is our top priority.

We strongly advise all attendees, volunteers, and organizers to consider the guidelines issued by the WHO with regards to health and wellness while attending mass gatherings when determining whether to attend an event. At the event, all attendees should follow the protocols set fourth by local health authorities and the WHO.

What precautions are you taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at your events?

Out of an abundance of caution, we are altering several aspects of player interaction at Pokémon organized events, such as removing the requirement to shake hands before and after matches. We are making hand-sanitizers available to attendees while also taking additional measures to sanitize surfaces as much as possible. We strongly advise all attendees, volunteers, and organizers follow the protocols issued by the WHO with regards to health and wellness while attending mass gatherings.