Rough Riders-Stampeders CFL showdown postponed to Saturday due to poor air quality
The West Division showdown, featuring the 4-0 Riders and the visiting 3-1 Stampeders, has been rescheduled to Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. Eastern time) after several delays on Friday night.
Friday's game was originally scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. CST. At 5:30 p.m., the CFL announced that the game would be delayed by 45 minutes with warm-ups scheduled to being at 7 p.m. followed by kickoff at 7:45 p.m.
A second extension was announced at 8 p.m. but unlike the initial delay, no time frame was included in the announcement.
At 10 p.m. a third extension was announced for player warm-ups at 10:45 p.m. followed by kickoff at 11:15 p.m. When the air quality wasn't at an acceptable level at 10:45 p.m., the game was officially postponed to Saturday.
According to an agreement between the CFL and CFL Players' Association, games would not be played if the Air Quality Health Index (ASQHI) is higher than seven. For most of the evening, the AQHI hovered above 10.
The issue with the air quality is a result of wildfires in northern Saskatchewan.
This is the second Riders game this season to be delayed due to wildfire smoke, following a pre-season tilt with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on May 24. That game was delayed one hour by the smoke.
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