COVID-19: European Athletics Championships canceled

The 2020 European Athletics Championships in Paris were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The decision to cancel was driven by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the associated risks linked to the current situation, which are far from being under control, as well as the existing ban on mass gatherings in France," the European Athletics said in a statement on Thursday night.

The 2020 European Athletics Championships was scheduled to take place at Charlety Stadium in Paris from August 25 to 30.

European Athletics's interim president Dobromir Karamarinov said: "It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of the Paris 2020 European Athletics Championships. We had hoped in these troubled times to offer European athletes a major event to aim for at the end of this summer."

"In these unprecedented times the health and safety of all athletics' stakeholders including athletes, fans, officials, partners and everyone connected with the sport is paramount," Karamarinov added.

A growing number of sporting events have been suspended, canceled or rescheduled as the world struggles to curb the spread of the virus.

The global death toll from the novel coronavirus crossed the 190,000 mark, while the number of cases exceeded 2.71 million, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, more than 743,000 people worldwide have recovered from COVID-19.