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Paris marathon postponed over spread of coronavirus in France

The Local France
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Paris marathon postponed over spread of coronavirus in France
AFP

The Paris Marathon that was due to take place in the French capital next month has been postponed due to the spread of coronavirus.

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The marathon, which sees around tens of thousands of runners take to the streets of Paris, was due to take place on Sunday April 5th.

But given the increasing number of coronavirus cases in France and the government's determination to slow the spread, the race has been postponed to an undecided later date, Le Parisien newspaper first reported on Thursday.

The decision to postpone the event comes after Sunday's Paris half marathon was cancelled for the same reasons.

The marathon will now be put put back until October 18th, the organisers told AFP in a press statement.

READ MORE: What you need to know about coronavirus in France (Paywall Free)

Some 65,000 runners from 150 different countries were registered to take part on a route than snakes its way through the capital from the Champs- Elyseés to the Bois de Vincennes and back across the city via the banks of the Seine.

French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu had suggested earlier the day that sports events in the coming weeks would be looked at on a case by case basis to decide whether they needed to be cancelled, postponed or allowed to go ahead.

READ ALSO: Should I cancel my trip to France over coronavirus outbreak?

 

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