Paris (AFP)
The Paris marathon, scheduled for November 15, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, ASO (Amaury Sport Organization), the organizing company of the event, announced on Wednesday.
The 42.195 km race, which passes each year in front of the emblematic places of the capital (departure on the Champs-Elysées, Opera, Bastille, Notre-Dame, Eiffel Tower ...), initially scheduled for April 5, had been postponed to twice (on October 18 and then on November 15) due to a health crisis.
"Faced with the impossibility for many participants to make themselves available for these events and in particular those, numerous, coming from several foreign countries and encountering the current difficulties of travel, it was decided to give an appointment to all the enthusiasts of running in 2021, "ASO said in a statement.
"The competitors registered this year are, if they wish, already registered for the editions of 2021", also indicated the organization.
The Paris half-marathon, also postponed twice and rescheduled for October 18, will not take place this year either, ASO said.
The cancellation of the Parisian event is in addition to those of the most prestigious marathons on the planet (New York, Berlin, Boston, Chicago) and totally decimates the road season.
Only the London marathon is still resisting with however a race only reserved for elite athletes on October 4 on a circuit acting as an isolation "bubble", with a long-awaited duel between the Olympic champion and world record holder Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge (2 h 1 min. 39 sec.), winner in 2018 and 2019, and the Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, second fastest in history, and the presence among the ladies of the Kenyan Brigid Koskei, record holder for the world (2 h 14 min 4).
Tuesday, Frankfurt, which has like Paris a "gold" label of the International Federation (sort of second division of road races), had also preferred to meet in 2021.
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