The Canadian Elite Basketball League has pushed back the start of its 2021 season due to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league announced Wednesday that its 14-game season will start June 24 instead of June 5.

The announcement comes as interprovincial travel restrictions are being implemented as Canada tries to deal with a third COVID-19 wave.

The CEBL is entering its third season.

The league played its 2020 season in a bubble environment in St. Catharines, Ont.

It was the first professional sports league to resume play in Canada after the global pandemic shut down sports around the world in March 2020.

The CEBL is made up of seven teams: the Fraser Valley Bandits (Abbotsford, B.C.), Edmonton Stingers, Saskatchewan Rattlers (Saskatoon), Hamilton Honey Badgers, Ottawa Blackjacks, Guelph Nighthawks and Niagara River Lions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2021.