Organizer RCS Sport has postponed the Giro d’Italia. The Italian cycling race is expected to start in Hungary in early May, but the government of the Eastern European country has declared a state of emergency due to the corona virus.
“Due to the state of emergency, the organizing committee in Hungary has announced that the Giro start cannot be held on the planned date,” RCS Sport wrote in a statement on Friday. “All parties agree that we will work together to find a later date for a start in Hungary.”
The new date for the Tour of Italy will be announced no earlier than April 3, after consultation with the Italian government.
The 103rd edition of the Tour of Italy would start on Saturday 9 May with a time trial of 8.6 kilometers through the center of Budapest. After that, relatively flat trips would follow from Budapest to Györ and from Székesfehérvár to Nagykanizsa.
Italy is severely affected by virus
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Hungarian government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in hopes of containing the spread of the corona virus. Among other things, no major events may be organized.
Of all European countries, Italy itself has been hardest hit by the COVID-19 virus. The Italian government decided on Monday to scrap all sports events until April 3.
Follow the latest developments around the virus in the sports world in us live blog.
The coronavirus in short
- The virus mainly spreads through cough and sneeze droplets that hang briefly in the air.
- An infected person infects two to three others on average. This number may decrease with proper precautions.
- The vast majority of patients have mild (flu-like) complaints.
- Almost all deaths concern older or already sick people. You can protect these people with precautions.
- Read here what the most important precautions are.
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