What to Know
- A wrestling tournament on Sunday at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, violated state COVID-19 regulations due to a large crowd and a lack of social distancing, officials said.
- Event organizers later cleared the crowds and reduced the number of attendees after Upper Providence Township police and Montgomery County health officials arrived.
- A spokesperson said Tyrant Wrestling, which organized the tournament, won't be allowed to use the Expo Center for an upcoming event in October.
A massive crowd attended an indoor wrestling tournament with no social distancing at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center over the weekend, violating Pennsylvania's COVID-19 regulations, officials said.
The tournament, organized by Tyrant Wrestling, took place Sunday at the center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Montgomery County officials said they received several complaints about the event due to large crowds not only inside but also on the outskirts of the building.
Upper Providence Township had issued a permit for the event. Officials said the tournament did not follow the permit’s required regulations for crowd size and social distancing.
The organizers cleared the crowd and reduced the number of attendees after Upper Providence Police and Montgomery County health officials arrived.
Pam Lawn, one of the health officials who responded to the event, told NBC10 the crowd was massive.
“It was just a lot of congregating inside this building,” Lawn said. “I was just shocked. I was surprised. There were chairs lined up together. They were encouraging people to sit right next to each other. There was no social distancing at all. The chairs were actually zip-tied together."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Expo Center told NBC10 Tyrant Wrestling “submitted its plans for correct social distancing procedures, however, it appears they failed to execute the approved plans.”
The spokesperson also said Tyrant Wrestling won't be allowed to use the Expo Center for an upcoming event in October as a result.
Despite the ongoing court battle over Gov. Wolf’s state gathering limits, Montgomery County officials told NBC10 those limits are still in effect if the gathering is connected to a business, which the wrestling tournament is.
NBC10 reached out to Tyrant Wrestling for comment. We have not yet heard back from them.
