TCS World 10k Bengaluru Marathon postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

The 13th edition of Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bengaluru scheduled to take place on May 17, was on March 26 postponed in view of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, the race promoters said.

The online registration for all categories of the World Athletics gold label race has been suspended. "With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting millions of lives world over, and the rapidly changing scenario, it was imperative to take this necessary action for the safety of all stakeholders world over," race promoters Procam International said in a release.

Vivek Singh, Joint Managing Director of Procam International said a suitable date for the event will be decided later after consultation with the state, national and international athletic bodies.

"The World as we know is going through a very difficult situation, that demands utmost care and attention from all of us. We know many of our runners are eagerly awaiting the 13th edition of the event and have spent time training for the same," he said.

"But the circumstances arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic are such that we have had to take this difficult decision." For those runners who have already registered for the 2020 edition, their entry will be automatically transferred to the new race date, without any payment.

The number of positive cases in India has surpassed the 700-mark, while 13 deaths have been reported so far, prompting the government to put the country under lockdown till April 14 to halt the spread of the virus.

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