World Athletics Indoor Championships postponed again until March 2023
The event was initially scheduled for March 13-15 this year but was postponed for 12 months over coronavirus fears in China; organisers have now agreed to host the Nanjing event a year after the 2022 Championships in Belgrade.
Last Updated: 10/12/20 8:45am
The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China have been postponed again until March 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event was initially scheduled for March 13-15 this year but was postponed for 12 months over fears related to the spread of the novel coronavirus in China.
Organisers have now agreed to host the Nanjing event a year after the 2022 Championships in Belgrade, World Athletics have confirmed.
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"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."
