Athletics was left with the prospect of a lost season after this summer's European Championships, set to be held in Paris, were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the event's organising committee and French Athletics Federation (FFA) said they "wished to adopt a responsible position by putting human health and the fight against the spread of the virus before any other consideration".
The championships were scheduled for August 25-30. The cancellation follows the postponement in March of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 and the announcement earlier on Thursday of the postponement of Diamond League events in Eugene, Oregon, and Paris.
"We really tried," said Jean Gracia, president of the Paris European Championships organising committee.
"We all hoped that the situation might improve rapidly, but unfortunately that wasn't the case," "We looked at all the possibilities, including reducing the number of athletes in each contest and halving the number of spectators."
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