Editing 2020 NXL Chicago Open

The '''2020 NXL Chicago Open''' was a cancelled paintball tournament scheduled for 10–13 September 2020 in the Chicago area of Illinois. It formed part of the [[National Xball League]] (NXL) United States calendar but was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Smaller regional tournaments proposed as replacements were subsequently cancelled as well.[1][2]

== Cancellation ==

A contemporary report published by ''Zen and the Art of Paintball'' on 11 May 2020 confirmed that the Chicago event, scheduled for 10–13 September, had been cancelled. The report also documented the cancellation of the league's planned Virginia event.[1]

The Chicago Open did not take place, and no professional or divisional tournament results were awarded.

== Proposed regional replacements ==

The NXL proposed three smaller regional tournaments covering the West Coast, Texas and Mid-Atlantic regions. Under the proposal, professional teams would be divided geographically between the three competitions, with six teams in the West Coast group, six in Texas and eight in the Mid-Atlantic group. Divisional competition was also planned.[1]

As of 11 May, the regional venues and exact dates remained unconfirmed. The proposed programme was expected to begin in late August and continue into September.[1]

In July, the league abandoned the regional replacement programme. An NXL statement reproduced by ''Damn Paintballs'' on 18 July confirmed the cancellation of the August and September regional events intended to replace the Chicago Open. The statement cited the safety and wellbeing of participants and staff and explained that the league would instead concentrate on the October Chicago ICPL event and the November NXL World Cup.[2]

The proposed regional competitions were therefore separate replacement events, rather than completed editions of the Chicago Open.

== See also ==

* [[National Xball League]]
* [[2020 NXL Texas Open]]
* [[2020 NXL Mid-Atlantic Open]]
* [[2020 NXL World Cup]]
* [[Paintball in the United States]]

== References ==

# [https://zenandtheartofpaintball.com/2020/05/11/the-age-of-covid-paintball-what-did-they-know-and-when-did-they-know-it/ Zen and the Art of Paintball – The Age of Covid Paintball – What did they know and when did they know it?, 11 May 2020.]
# [https://damnpaintballs.com/2020/07/18/nxl-regional-conference-events-cancelled/ Damn Paintballs – NXL Regional Conference Events Cancelled, 18 July 2020; reproduces the NXL cancellation statement.]

[[Category:National Xball League events]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments in the United States]]
[[Category:Paintball in Illinois]]
[[Category:2020s in American paintball]]
[[Category:2020 in paintball]]