Updated: 2020 XCO World Championships in Albstadt cancelled
Change to German cross country championships comes same week as news of 2020 Olympics
Update: 2020 UCI mountain bike world championships will not be held in Albstadt, Germany as originally planned. German organizers and the UCI initially postponed the event at the end of March, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It now appears it will not be possible to hold the event in Albstadt at all.
It’s not the end of the trail for world championships this year, though. In its press release, the UCI stated it is already hard at work to find a new location for 2020 XCO worlds.
Original story: published March 27, 2020
On Friday, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) updated its list of events postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 world health emergency. Cross country mountain bike world championships, scheduled to take place in Albstadt, Germany, are the latest event to be postponed.
Albstadt was originally scheduled to host the event on June 25-28, 2020. Cross country worlds were planned for the earlier than usual date, and separate from downhill world championships, due to the 2020 Olympic Games.
XCO Worlds joins Olympics in a cascade of postponed events
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced at the start of this week that the Olympics would be postponed. They were scheduled to run from July 24 through Aug. 9, 2020.
No new date for XCO world championships has been set. The UCI released a prior statement that world championships would be given priority for a rescheduled date on any adjusted calendar.
So far four downhill World Cup rounds have been cancelled or postponed, and one cross country world cup. Three Enduro World Series rounds have already been postponed.
Germany working to fight off COVID-19 in hard-hit European continent
Europe has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak, especially Italy. The cancellation of the Albstadt world championships comes as Germany works hard to avoid the levels of infection seen in its European neighbours.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed her country in a televised statement this week, emphasizing the gravity of the threat.
“Since German unification—no, since the Second World War—no challenge to our nation has ever demanded such a degree of common and united action,” said Merkel of the historic challenge of the COVID-19 outbreak.
A statement from the organizers of Albstadt world championships read that “In the current critical situation of the worldwide spread of the coronavirus with far-reaching travel restrictions, a world championship – like other major sporting events worldwide – cannot be held on this date.” Organizers are scheduled to meet next week to discuss possible alternative dates.
