KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 — Governing body, World Athletics, has agreed with organisers to postpone the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China because of the 2019-nCoV outbreak in the country.

The event which was scheduled to run from March 13 to 15 this year will be postponed to March 2021.

World Athletics, via a statement issued a while ago, said the decision was made based on advice from its medical team which is in contact with the World Health Organization (WHO).

The team counselled that the spread of the virus both within and outside China was still at a concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that could be postponed.

"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.

"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,” said World Athletics on its website.

World Athletics said it believed it will be able to find a suitable date in 2021 for the event and that it would like Nanjing to be the host given the extensive planning and preparation it has put into this event. — Bernama