The organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing have postponed the event to March 2021 after the coronavirus outbreak in China.
The event was scheduled to be held in Nanjing from March 13-15 this year."We know that China is doing all it can to contain the new Coronavirus and we support them in all their efforts but it is necessary to provide our athletes, member federations and partners with a clear way forward in what is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances," World Athletics said in a statement.
"The advice from our medical team, who are in contact with the World Health Organisation, is that the spread of the Coronavirus both within China and outside the country is still at a concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that can be postponed, it added.
"The indoor season for athletics falls within a narrow calendar window (up to the end of March) and we believe we will be able to find a suitable date in 2021 to host this event. We would like Nanjing to be the host given the extensive planning and preparation they have put into this event."
"We have chosen not to cancel the championships as many of our athletes would like this event to take place so we will now work with our athletes, our partners, and the Nanjing organising committee to secure a date in 2021 to stage this event," the statement said.
Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, a Chinese city of more than 11 million people, and has since then spread to various countries around the world. As many as 170 people have died, while over 1700 cases have been registered in China alone.
Health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China.
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