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BYU’s Cougar Kickoff canceled due to ‘poor air quality conditions’

The 16th annual event was set to take place Tuesday evening.

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2017, file photo, BYU fans cheer in the first half during an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, in Provo, Utah. The friendly confines of LaVell Edwards Stadium will have fans for the first time this season when No. 12 BYU faces Texas State on Saturday., Oct. 24, 2020. Cougars coach Kalani Sitake has a message for the approximately 6,000 who show up: Be loud. Be very, very loud. Make it seem like 60,000.(AP Photo/Kim Raff, File)

  | Aug. 17, 2021, 12:59 a.m.
| Updated: 1:43 a.m.

For fans wanting to kick off BYU’s upcoming 2021 football season, they will have to wait even longer.

On Monday evening, BYU canceled the 16th annual Cougar Kickoff due to “poor air quality conditions,” BYU Football announced on Twitter.

The event was set to take place Tuesday and was going to feature athletes from football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s soccer, gymnastics, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, and cheer.

“This comes out of an abundance of caution, wanting to keep our student-athletes in the best possible health, with many BYU sports nearing the start of fall competition,” BYU Football said in its Twitter post.

Air conditions deteriorated Sunday as more smoke from California wildfires moved into northern Utah and has settled in throughout the start of the week, along with smoke from a wildfire in Parleys Canyon. Smoke conditions are expected to improve midweek as rain and cooler temperatures make their way into the region.

Still on the calendar, however, is “Fan Fest” — a celebratory event the day before the season opener against Arizona in Las Vegas. The event will take place Sept. 3, from 6-8 p.m. PDT, at Craig Ranch Regional Park.

The Cougars will kick off the 2021 season against Arizona at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 4.