This news item expired on Saturday, September 18, 2021 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission announced today that the 2020 Maui Jim Maui Invitational will come to Buncombe County for this year’s tournament. Featuring eight teams from every major conference, the tournament will be played at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville.
In accordance with health and safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the tournament will follow North Carolina guidelines on mass gatherings. Attending teams will utilize a bubble model similar to that of the NBA’s, where players, coaches, and staff are isolated in advance of and during the tournament. The health protocol has been reviewed and approved by state officials.
“This is a tremendous boon to our local economy during a difficult year,” said Buncombe County's Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tim Love. “These isolated players and staff will need food and lodging, and we expect this to help generate more than $1.1 million of revenue for our local economy. I think as we’ve watched the economic slowdown take an extraordinary toll on our service industry, the impact of hosting this tournament cannot be understated.”
To learn more about the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, which Buncombe County Government provides partial funding to, click here.
To learn more about the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, click here.