Diamond League postpones three more events amid coronavirus pandemic

Stockholm, Naples and Rabat have followed Doha and a Chinese city in being called off

The 2020 Diamond League season has been thrown into disarray due to the coronavirus outbreak, with five events postponed so far. Reuters

Diamond League events in Stockholm, Naples and Rabat scheduled for late May have been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic, organisers said on Friday.

The Diamond League has now postponed five events in the 2020 season, after meets scheduled for Doha and an unspecified host city in China were also moved.

"The decision was made in close consultation with all the relevant parties. The dynamic global spread of the COVID-19 disease, the travel restrictions expected to be in force for some time and above all concerns over athlete safety have made it impossible to stage the competitions as planned," the Diamond League said in a statement.

"The meeting organisers, the Diamond League and World Athletics, remain committed to delivering a structured, extensive season in 2020."

Stockholm was due to host a meeting on May 24, followed by Naples (May 28) and Rabat (May 31).

The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to next year would open up some space on the calendar if the coronavirus pandemic has been brought under control by mid-July.

"New dates for Diamond League events will be announced in cooperation with the World Athletics Global Calendar Unit as soon as the extraordinary situation makes a reliable plan possible."

As things stand, the next Diamond League event on the 2020 calendar is the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, that is scheduled for June 6-7.

There are 15 events on the schedule for this year, with the final in Zurich set for September 11.