ATHLETICS NEWS - The World Indoor Athletics Championships, scheduled for the Chinese city of Nanjing in March, have been postponed until 2021 as a consequence of the coronavirus epidemic, officials said.
"It is with regret that we have agreed with the organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing (13-15 March 2020) to postpone the event to March 2021," the sport's governing body 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."
The championships are the latest sports event to be hit by the virus which as of Wednesday had seen some 6 000 cases confirmed in China with at least 132 fatalities.
The virus has spread from the epicentre of Wuhan to more that 15 countries, with about 60 cases in Asia, Europe, North America and, most recently, the Middle East.
World Athletics said they had considered the possibility of relocating the event to another country but "given concerns still exist regarding the spread of the virus outside China, we have decided not to go with this option, as it may lead to further postponement at a later date".
