Islamabad
The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China have been postponed again for a further two years, following an initial 12-month delay, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, which was originally scheduled for March 13-15 this year, will now take place in March 2023, no longer in 2021.
According to World Athletics, organisers of the Nanjing event have agreed to stage it a year after the 2022 Championships in Belgrade.
“It is with regret that we have agreed with the organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing (19-21 March 2021) to postpone the event to March 2023,” World Athletics said in a statement.
“While we have been liaising with the organising committee and the Chinese Athletics Association to evaluate the staging over the past few weeks, given the current global situation, there is still significant uncertainty about the state of the Covid-19 pandemic in the early part of 2021.
“For the safety of our athletes and technical officials, we must duly consider the risks in bringing a large group of people to attend the event under the pandemic situation and fully respect and carry out the pandemic prevention policy of the host country.
“The indoor season for athletics falls within a narrow Calendar window (up to the end of March) so it is not possible to extend the event to later in the year.
“We would like Nanjing to be the host of our World Indoor Championships given the extensive planning and preparation they have put into this event so have agreed they will stage the event one year after the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022.
“Despite this postponement, our athletes will still have substantial competitive opportunities available in the early part of 2021 through the World Indoor Tour which comprises 26 meetings spread across 12 countries in Europe and North America.—APP
