Despite seeing their team suffer a 6-4 setback, Saranac Lake Placid hockey fans were able to celebrate some moments during an entertaining regional final game against Queensbury on March 7 in Plattsburgh. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

LATHAM (AP) — The tentative start date for high-risk winter sports has been moved again for New York high schools, this time to early January, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced Tuesday.

Basketball, ice hockey, wrestling and competitive cheer would be able to start Jan. 4, contingent upon authorization from state health officials. Those sports were originally scheduled to start in mid-November and that date was pushed back to the end of November because of the pandemic.

Dr. Robert Zayas, executive director of NYSPHSAA, said member schools had expressed concerns pertaining to the increase in COVID-19 infection rates.

Low and moderate risk winter sports, which include bowling, gymnastics, indoor track and field, skiing, swimming and diving, are still on schedule to begin Nov. 30.

Zayas said NYSPHSAA had proposed a prohibition on teams traveling outside the state or hosting teams from other states. He said he also proposed limiting high school athletes from participating with any other teams other than their high school teams.

He said decisions about state championships would be made at a later time.