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| Wuhan marathon runners cross the Yangtze River bridge in 2018. This year's event was postponed at short notice because of COVID-19 fears. (Photo by= AFP) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] BEIJING: The Wuhan Marathon, which had been due to take place on Sunday (Oct 24), has been postponed at short notice as worries increase over a COVID-19 resurgence in China ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, AFP reported.
China reported 26 new domestic COVID-19 cases on Sunday, in an outbreak that has become the latest test of the country's zero-tolerance approach with more than 100 days until the start of the Games. Authorities have been racing to contain virus infections via mass testing of residents and targeted lockdowns. But with the rise in cases, organizers of the Wuhan Marathon said in a statement released late last week that they would postpone Sunday's event in the central Chinese city "to prevent the risk of epidemic spread".
The event was expected to have 26,000 participants, taking part in races including a full marathon and half marathon, in the city where coronavirus was first identified towards the end of 2019, state media reported. The organizing committee said it would refund the registration fees of contestants who successfully signed up. China has wrestled down the number of infections to a trickle by deploying aggressive, mass testing and keeping its borders extremely tight.
