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25.06.2020
Athletics ” The New York and Berlin marathons have been officially canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Races late in the marathon calendar, New York and Berlin are also the two most followed. The first for its popular fervor and the second for its performances which set the tone for the discipline.
This is only the second time that the New York Marathon, initially scheduled for November 1, has been canceled, after the 2012 break following Hurricane Sandy. The 2020 edition should have been exceptional, because it was the 50th New York Marathon, created in 1970, four years before the Berlin one, which had never been canceled in its 46 years of existence.
Scheduled for September 27, the German event was suspended because it was subject to the ban on any gathering of more than 5,000 people in the capital, which runs until October 24. “As hard as we have worked, it is currently not possible to organize the marathon,” the Berlin organizers said on the official website.
“To cancel this year’s marathon is a huge disappointment to all associated with it, ”New York Road Runners CEO Michael Capiraso said in a statement. “But that was clearly the way to go from a health security perspective,” he added. New York organizers will offer registrants the opportunity to have their registration fees refunded or to postpone their participation to 2021, 2022 or 2023.
Boston and Tokyo have also already been canceled, but several marathons have yet to throw in the towel. As for the Paris marathon, already postponed from April to October, the organizers “are still working to ensure that the marathon takes place on the scheduled date (October 18)”.
ATS / AFP
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