The Wuhan Marathon, which was scheduled to take place this Sunday (24), was postponed virtually without notice due to fears of a surge in cases. COVID-19 Feather China, before the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The Chinese capital on Sunday reported 26 new local cases of Covid-19, the latest outbreak to test a zero-tolerance policy for the virus, 100 days before the start of the Games.
Officials are trying to contain the spread of the virus with large-scale testing and targeted containment.
But with the rise in cases, the Wuhan marathon organizers said in a statement that they would postpone the race in the city in central China “to avoid the risk of spreading the pandemic”.
The first Covid-19 case in Wuhan was detected in late December 2019 – Photo: Reuters
The event was expected to attract 26,000 participants to the city where the coronavirus was first identified in late 2019.
The organizing committee stated that it would refund the registration fee of the participants.
China has managed to reduce the contagion of Covid with an aggressive testing campaign and stringent border controls.
It is not clear whether the Beijing Marathon will take place next Sunday (31).
