Paris Marathon Canceled as France Mitigates Resurgence of Covid-19 Cases

PARIS, KOMPAS.com – The 2020 edition of the Paris Marathon has been cancelled amid a resurgence of rising Covid-19 cases in France.

The news was made official by organizers of the elite running event on Wednesday.

This year’s Paris Marathon had originally been planned to take place on April 5, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was later postponed to November 15.

Read also: France’s Science Council Sound the Alarm in Covid-19 Fight

Eventually, the event was scrapped entirely from this year’s calendar.

"After having tried everything to maintain the event, we, alongside the City of Paris, feel obliged to cancel the 2020 edition of the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and the Paris Breakfast Run," organizers said in a statement.

"Faced with the difficulty that many runners, especially those coming from abroad, had in making themselves available... it was decided that it would be better... for those concerned if we organized the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris in 2021.

"We will be working side-by-side with the City of Paris to put on a 2021 edition that brings together the most passionate runners on the most beautiful streets in the world."

The Paris marathon, one of the most popular events on the global running calendar which routinely attracts over 40,000 participants, is the latest to be disrupted by the worldwide novel coronavirus outbreak.

Read also: UK Quarantine Imposed on Spain – Germany and France Could Be Next

In June, the New York City Marathon was cancelled while the Boston Marathon was also scrapped for the first time in its 124-year history.

Marathon majors in Berlin and Chicago were also cancelled while the London Marathon, originally set for April, was postponed to October 4 and will be run as an elite-only event.

France has reported over 236,000 infections and more than 30,000 deaths from Covid-19.

(Writers: Sudip Kar-Gupta, Arvind Sriram | Editors: Toby Chopra and Ken Ferris)

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-france-sport/athletics-paris-marathon-cancelled-as-covid-19-cases-pick-up-in-france-idUSL8N2FE2P3