The World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing, China has been postponed by a year because of the coronavirus.

The governing body had been considering cancelling the event and has now taken the step of putting it back until 2021. Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday that the British team were unlikely to attend due to concerns about the spread of the virus, which has accounted for more than 100 lives.

A World Athletics statement read: 'It is with regret that we have agreed with the organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing (March 13-15, 2020) to postpone the event to March 2021.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has been postponed due to concerns over the danger of the coronavirus and its ability to spread among competitors

'We know that China is doing all it can to contain the new coronavirus and we support them in all their efforts but it is necessary to provide our athletes, member federations and partners with a clear way forward in what is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances.

'The advice from our medical team, who are in contact with the World Health Organisation, is that the spread of the coronavirus both within China and outside the country is still at a concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that can be postponed.

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'We have considered the possibility of relocating the event to another country and would like to thank the cities that have volunteered to host the championships.

'However, given concerns still exist regarding the spread of the virus outside China, we have decided not to go with this option, as it may lead to further postponement at a later date.'