Friday, March 29

Indoor UCLA athletic matches to close to public amid return to remote instruction


Pauley Pavilion sits empty prior to a UCLA men’s basketball contest. All indoor athletic competitions on campus will be limited to families of team members through Jan. 21, according to a UCLA Athletic announcement. (Daily Bruin file photo)


Like classrooms, Pauley Pavilion will remain empty for the majority of January.

UCLA Athletics announced Tuesday afternoon that all indoor athletic competitions on campus will be closed to the general public through Jan. 21. The move comes after UCLA announced a return to remote instruction through Jan. 28, and after fan attendance was limited for UCLA men’s basketball’s home contest versus Long Beach State on Jan. 6 at Pauley Pavilion.

Only families of team members will be allowed at indoor sporting events, according to an athletic department statement.

The move affects a total of seven Bruin athletic competitions: two men’s basketball games, three women’s basketball contests and two men’s volleyball matches. All three teams will compete at Pauley Pavilion, while the men’s volleyball program also hosts matches at the John Wooden Center.

Tuesday’s announcement also affects the Jan. 21 USC-Penn State men’s volleyball matchup set to be played at Pauley Pavilion for the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.

In a press conference Tuesday morning before the announcement, UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin said he hoped for fans at the Bruins’ upcoming games, but added that the decision was out of his hands. 

“You know where I stand on that – can’t be enough people in there for me,” Cronin said. “I watched the (College Football Playoff National Championship) last night, indoors with 75,000 people, so you can imagine where I stand. I’ve been pretty clear, but they don’t include me in that.”

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Daily Bruin senior staff

Palmero is a senior staff writer for Sports. He served as the assistant Sports editor on the softball, beach volleyball, women's volleyball, men's volleyball and men's golf beats from 2021-2022 and a Sports reporter on the beach volleyball and women's volleyball beats in 2021. He is a third-year mathematics and economics student.


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