13:57,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing have been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The championships were to be held from 13-15 March but governing body World Athletics pushed them back 12 months, World Athletics said in a press release.

World Athletics sought advice from the World Health Organisation and turned down offers to host from other cities.

“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.

"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 governing body said in a statement.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan