Organizers of the Mars Bromont Three-Day Event have canceled the competition, which was scheduled to begin in less than two weeks, citing “the current state of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”

“For the past six months, the Bromont Organizing Committee has worked in close collaboration with local, provincial and federal government agencies to ensure running the MARS Bromont CCI is safe for all participants,” the organizing committee for the Bromont, Quebec, competition said in a statement released Thursday evening. “Unfortunately, the current state of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic would jeopardize this goal of guaranteed safety. It was therefore decided by the Public Health Agency of Canada, with full support from the Bromont Organizing Committee, that international travel should be restricted for this event, therefore necessitating its cancellation as per the FEI rules.”

The announcement came just one day after Quebec Premier François Legault announced a “reopening plan” for Bromont’s home province that will lift a four-month-old curfew on May 28 and allow restaurant patios and theaters to reopen with certain restrictions, as well as allowing travel to resume between regions.

The event is one of several high-profile competitions to be canceled recently due to COVID-19, but it is the first to be announced so close to its scheduled start date, June 2. Burghley Horse Trials organizers announced May 7 that the early September event will not run; the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair announced April 10 that it would not run May 27-June 6.

In announcing the cancellation, organizers struck a hopeful note about continuing with plans for several eventing competitions later in the year.

“With vaccination rates across North America continuing to increase, the Bromont Organizing Committee is looking forward to hosting the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Bromont and Bromont CCI-S Three Day Event the weekend of August 13th to 15th at the iconic venue, Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park, site of the equestrian events of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games,” their statement read. “We will continue to cooperate fully with the appropriate government bodies to ensure these events operate safely and follow all COVID guidelines.”

The event had been slated to run June 2-6 and offer two-, three- and four-star divisions.