Press Release - 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships - 1/29/20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     World Athletics To Postpone World Athletics Indoor Championships 
                              Nanjing 2020 

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.

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.

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.

We have considered the possibility of relocating the event to another 
country and would like to thank the cities that have volunteered to host 
the championships. However, 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.

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.

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