2020 Tour of Hainan Cancelled due to fears of coronavirus

The Tour of Hainan, a UCI Pro Series race set to take place in southern China from Feb. 23 to Mar. 1, has been cancelled due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. The UCI stated that it has, “approved the request of the Chinese National Federation to postpone the race to a later date in 2020 subject to availabilities on the calendar.” The nine stage race is part of the UCI Asia Tour, and has been running since 2006.

Hainan is an island province of China and the nation’s southernmost point. Despite Hainan being 1,583 km away from Wuhan—the city in which the outbreak is occuring—the UCI and the Chinese government have still chosen to postpone the race. Due to the high volume of travel during the recent Lunar New Year, the government of China is taking major precautions to contain the movement of coronavirus. Chinese authorities have imposed travel restrictions throughout the country and have outright banned travel to and from Wuhan and its province, Hubei.

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The next road event scheduled in China is the Tour of Chongming Island UCI Women’s WorldTour, which will take place May 7-9. There are no plans to cancel the Tour of Chongming Island, although the UCI notes that they are, “in regular contact with the Chinese authorities, which are keeping it informed of the evolution of the health situation and its impact on the organisation of cycling events in the country. It will take decisions necessary to ensure the safety of all stakeholders.”