Slo-Pitch Teams Cry Foul After Organizer Abruptly Postpones Vallarta Tournament Ryan White - CTV News
go to original March 5, 2016

Jonathan Cote was set to take part in a slo-pitch tournament in Puerto Vallarta beginning March 11, 2016 but the organizer has postponed the event.

Nearly 200 athletes from across North America have been left with their bats on their shoulders mere days before they were slated to fly to Mexico for a slo-pitch tournament.

The Puerto Vallarta Mexico 5th Annual Corona/Pacifico Slo-Pitch Tournament was set to begin on March 11 but the organizer announced the event’s postponement eight days before the first pitch.

“The guy who runs the tournament, Austin Gunning, had this tournament set up where everybody has paid the full amount already for the tournament,” said Calgarian Jonathan Cote. “Yesterday, he came out and said that the tournament was postponed ‘til October.”

Players had paid to cover the cost of flights, accomodations and tournament fees.

In Facebook posts sent to the team leaders, organizer Austin Gunning says a number of cancellations and the value of the U.S. dollar have forced his hand and the tournament has been rescheduled for the week of October 14, 2016. In the post, Gunning says he would have to pay $23,000 to cover the costs associated with the cancelled rooms if the tournament continued as originally planned.

“(Gunning) wasn’t reaching out to anybody, wasn’t answering messages,” said Cote. “It looked like he was running with everybody’s money.”

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