World Athletics announced today that the 24th edition of their World Half-Marathon Championships has been postponed until October 17.  The bi-annual event was scheduled to take place in Gdynia, Poland, on Sunday, March 29.

"It is with regret that we have agreed with the mayor of Gdynia and the organisers of the World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 (29 March) to postpone this event until October this year, due to the ongoing uncertainty created by the spread of new Coronavirus internationally," read a statement released by World Athletics today.  "The current international situation would have seriously compromised the event at this time as many countries are now restricting international travel, invoking quarantines and advising citizens and event organisers to avoid mass gatherings."

The postponement comes during a flurry of event cancellations and postponements, including nearly every running event in China, Italy and Japan. So far, there have been no event postponements or cancellations in the United States or Canada due to the Coronavirus threat.

The new date, Saturday, October 17, is six days after the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and on the same weekend as the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the TCS Amsterdam Marathon.