By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the world of sports and track and field in particular has already heightened with the postponement of World Athletics’ 2021 World Indoor Championships.

World Athletics, formerly the International Amateur Athletic Federation, announced last week they have agreed with the organizers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing (19-21 March 2021) to postpone the event to March 2023.

“Whilst we have been liaising with the Organizing Committee and the Chinese Athletics Association to evaluate the staging over the last 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,” World Athletics disclosed in a press release.

World Athletics, the governing body for the sport worldwide, further revealed that because of the safety of their athletes and technical officials, they 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,” World Athletics stated.

“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.”

The World Indoors might be postponed, but World Athletics will still go ahead with its 2021 World Indoor Tour which comprises 26 meetings spread across 12 countries in Europe and North America.

The World Indoor Tour will kick off at the end of January to the end of February 2021.