The WorldSkills competition that was set to take place in Shanghai in October has been cancelled.
Organisers of the global event, which the UK was preparing to send 39 students and apprentices to, called it off today due to current lockdowns in China and ongoing prevention and control restrictions.
Following the decision, WorldSkills members and their partners said they began discussions on “alternative opportunities” for the competitors that were preparing for the competition.
WorldSkills UK, which organises and trains the UK’s team for the global competition known as the “skills Olympics”, said the decision was “extremely disappointing” for its competitors.
WorldSkills UK chief executive Neil Bentley-Gockmann said: “This is extremely disappointing for everyone involved in Team UK and for young people around the world who were looking forward to competing in China. After the delays and difficulties of the past couple of years, we are extremely proud of the skill and determination members of Team UK have shown to make it this far. Our number one focus is supporting them.
“WorldSkills International is considering a number of options that could allow Team UK members to still compete on the international stage. We are actively exploring these ideas and how else we can recognise the achievements of Team UK members and give them the chance to demonstrate the excellence and skills they have developed over the last four years. We will be discussing options with them and their training teams in the coming weeks.”
The WorldSkills Shanghai event was due to take place from October 12 to 17, 2022. The competition was originally planned to take place in 2021 but was postponed due to Covid.
An international WorldSkills tournament hasn’t taken place since the pandemic struck. The last one to take place was WorldSkills Kazan in 2019.
Your thoughts