RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The NCAA has awarded men's basketball tournament games in 2020 and 2021 along with several other championship events to North Carolina after the state repealed elements of a law that limited protections for LGBT people and put it at risk of being passed over as a host for future events.
The governing body announced decisions Tuesday for events through 2022, two weeks after the NCAA said it had "reluctantly" agreed to consider North Carolina again for hosting duties. It had stripped North Carolina of seven championship events for the past sports season — including opening-weekend men's basketball tournament games — and said it could relocate more events if there wasn't a change in the "bathroom bill."
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed a compromise bill March 30 while saying it wasn't a perfect solution.
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Statement from ACLU of North Carolina - “North Carolina’s new law does nothing to guarantee that LGBT people will be protected from discrimination” said James Esseks, director of the ACLU’s LGBT and HIV Project. “When the NCAA originally withdrew events from North Carolina, they did so because they claimed to care about ‘fairness and inclusion’ for college athletes and fans. It’s a shame to see that those concerns have already fallen by the wayside.”
Championships awarded to North Carolina include -
2020 D-1 Men's basketball first & second round games - Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC
2021 D-1 Men's basketball first & second round games - PNC Arena Raleigh, NC
2021 D-1 Men's Soccer Cup Challenge - WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, NC
2019 D-1 Women's basketball regional - Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC
2019 D-1 Women's field hockey championship - Kentner Stadium Winston-Salem, NC
2020 D-1 Women's golf regional - Lonnie Poole Golf Course Raleigh, NC
2018 D-1 Women's Soccer Cup Challenge - WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, NC
2020 D-1 Women's Soccer Cup Challenge - WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, NC
2021 D-1 Women's diving & swimming championships - Greensboro Aquatic Complex Greensboro, NC
