Chamonix (France) (AFP)

The 2020 edition of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), a major trail and mountain running event organized each year in Chamonix (Haute-Savoie), has been canceled due to the pandemic of coronaviruses, organizers announced on Wednesday.

"We regret to announce that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the UTMB Mont-Blanc will not be able to take place from August 24 to 31", they announced on their account Twitter.

The organizers said "to have carefully examined all the alternatives in accordance with government guidelines" and "conducted a consultation with runners, local communities and partners".

"Canceling is the most responsible decision to preserve the health and safety of all participants, whether runners, inhabitants of the Pays du Mont-Blanc, spectators, providers, partners and volunteers" , they stressed, recalling that the event, created 18 years ago, attracts thousands of people from more than 100 countries around the world.

Seven races are on the UTMB program with a flagship event of 170 kilometers around Mont-Blanc which crosses three countries (France, Italy, Switzerland) and a total of 18 municipalities.

In particular, it was won three times by the Spaniard Kilian Jornet, the ultimate reference in trail running, mountain racing and ski mountaineering.

The organizers have specified that the athletes registered for the 2020 edition, after qualification and drawing lots to cope with the influx of applications, will be able to benefit from "a place reserved on the same race of your choice in 2021, 2022 or 2023 ".

© 2020 AFP