The world indoor track and field championships set for Nanjing, China, have been postponed for the second time this year and will now take place in 2023, three years after they were originally scheduled.
The meet was first pushed from March 2020 to March 2021 as the coronavirus began spreading last winter.
Now it will be in March 2023.
“Given the current global situation, there is still significant uncertainty about the state of the Covid-19 pandemic in the early part of 2021,” according to World Athletics this week. “We must duly consider the risks in bringing a large group of people to attend the event under the pandemic situation.”
The world indoor championships are traditionally held in even years. So the next meet will now be the 2022 edition in Belgrade, one year before the rescheduled Nanjing meet.
World indoors usually marks a key meet in Olympic years for many Games hopefuls.
In 2016, world champions included Ashton Eaton, Matthew Centrowitz and Michelle Carter, who took gold in Rio later that year.
The annual world tour of indoor meets starts in late January and includes the Millrose Games in New York City, scheduled for Feb. 13.
OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!