World Coffee Events (WCE) and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) have announced the cancellation of the 2020 World Coffee Championships due to the impact of pandemic-related international visa and travel restrictions.
The organisations say the ability to gather representatives from across the globe is core to the mission of these competitions. Given the current and projected travel environment through November 2020, WCE and the SCA have decided to cancel the 2020 events and focus on the 2021 championship season.
The 2020 World Barista Championships and World Brewers Cup were scheduled to take place 3 to 6 November at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) trade show, which has now been cancelled.
The World Coffee in Good Spirits, World Latte Art, World Cup Tasters, World Coffee Roasting, and Cezve/Ibrik Championships were scheduled to take place during World of Coffee Warsaw from 15 to 17 October.
The SCA is working with partners at the Warsaw PTAK venue to cancel the 2020 World of Coffee trade show and postpone the contract to a future year. More information on this will be available in the coming weeks.
WCE says it knows this is disappointing news to many, and deeply regrets that there is no feasible way to gather global competitors this year.
It is excited to bring the World Barista Championship, World Cup Tasters Championship, and Cezve/Ibrik Championship to the World of Coffee Athens trade show in June 2021. While it is still exploring location options for the 2021 World Coffee in Good Spirits, World Latte Art, World Brewers Cup, and World Coffee Roasting Championships, they will be held no earlier than June 2021.
Given the logistical challenges of locating these events and accommodating overflow competitors, WCE is requiring that Competition Bodies only send one competitor to each 2021 championship. This means that National Champions who have already won their title in 2020 will participate in the 2021 championships. Additionally, 2020 sanctioning terms will be extended, to cover the 2021 competition year.
These schedule changes may have different effects according to different local circumstances. WCE and SCA’s Regional Community Directors will work with the Competition Body coordinators to navigate next steps as appropriate.
They encourage anyone with questions to read the Frequently Asked Questions section below or reach out via email at info@worldcoffeeevents.org.
For more information, visit the FAQ HERE.
Image: Lanny Huang for WCE