The ABB FIA Formula E Championship has confirmed the postponement of March’s Sanya E-Prix amidst the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus virus broke out in December 2019, reportedly from the Chinese city of Wuhan, however, gained traction in January and has since caused over 300 deaths.
Motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, confirmed that it was monitoring the situation in China on Wednesday while travel restrictions continued to be imposed in an attempt to contain the virus.
The race in Sanya – held on the Chinese resort island of Hainan – was scheduled to take place on March 21 as the sixth race of the 2019/20 campaign, however, has since been delayed due to growing concerns.
“In view of the continued spread of coronavirus and after close consultation with the relevant departments of Hainan Province and Sanya Municipal Government, Formula E – together with the FIA, the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of People’s Republic of China (CAMF), and regional partner Enova Holdings – have jointly decided not to race in Sanya on the scheduled date of March 21, 2020,” read a statement issued by Formula E.
“We are working closely with our regional partner and the local authorities in Hainan Province and Sanya Municipal Government, to continue monitoring the situation as it develops.
“All parties will take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates should the situation improve.”
This delay marks the latest of a number of changes to China’s sporting calendar, with February’s FIS Alpine Ski World Cup getting cancelled while events in the world of boxing, basketball, tennis and swimming have also been altered.
No decision has yet been made on Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix, currently scheduled for April 19.
