The inaugural Sports Illustrated Women’s Games have been put on hold.
The six-day event was supposed to bring together over 120 elite female athletes from around the world this Oct. 28 through Nov. 2 at Oceanside's Frontwave Arena.
It would have featured Olympic athletes and top level professionals competing in basketball, tennis and volleyball among other sports.
“I was looking forward to going up and possibly watching flag football, and also gymnastics,” said Britney Hall, a former professional track and field athlete who lives in San Diego.
Hall planned on going with a group to watch the games, but hadn’t bought her tickets yet.
“Honestly, I was going to look the next couple days and see what tickets were, and yeah, that's when we got word it was postponed,” she said.
Word of the postponement came in late September on the event’s website, which said the decision was made after careful consideration.
“As we got a little bit closer to opening night this fall, we were experiencing some scheduling difficulties and logistical challenges in getting all those athletes to Oceanside the way we need them to,” said Sports Illustrated Editor in Chief Steve Cannella.
He said one of the organizing challenges was bringing in international athletes, who require U.S. visas.
“The landscape of people traveling from outside of the U.S. to the U.S., whether they're athletes or not, has been constantly changing. And that landscape has been shifting in the time since we began planning this event,” Cannella said.
The event was first announced in April and tickets went on sale in mid-August.
Canella said ticket sales were not a problem, nor a reason for postponement. The event’s website tells ticket holders, “If you’d like to hold onto your tickets, there is nothing you need to do and they will still be valid for the rescheduled date. If you’d prefer a refund, you have 30 days after receiving your postponement notice to request a refund from your point of purchase.”
Frontwave Arena did not respond to requests for comment, but KPBS did get a statement from Visit Oceanside, which is partnered on the event.
“Events like the Sports Illustrated Women’s Games can be strong tourism drivers, especially during shoulder season when local hotels and businesses benefit most. While Visit Oceanside is disappointed by the postponement, we remain optimistic that the event will be rescheduled and look forward to supporting it upon its return,” said Visit Oceanside spokeswoman Shae Geary.
Fan Britney Hall shared that sentiment.
“I think with it being postponed though, it may be a blessing in disguise,” she said. “We can now drum up more media attention, drum up some more fandom, get more people interested in coming.”
Canella said they have not yet committed to any new dates, but they hope to reschedule the SI Women's Games in the second half of 2026.
