European mountain and under-18 events also delayed, while feasibility of European Championships in Paris taking place is to be reviewed
European Athletics events including the European 10,000m Cup in London, mountain and under-18 championships are among the latest fixtures to have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Following a two-day video conference meeting, the governing body’s executive board confirmed that the European 10,000m Cup and European Mountain Running Championships would be moved to 2021.
The European Athletics Under-18 Championships will also not take place in 2020, though it is not yet confirmed if the event will be cancelled or rescheduled.
The European Throwing Cup, which had been due to take place on March 21-22, is now cancelled rather than postponed.
The day after the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games was confirmed, the European Athletics executive board also announced that the feasibility of the European Championships in Paris taking place as planned on August 25-30 is to be reviewed.
“The executive board received an update on the current preparations from the LOC (local organising committee), which reported that their work has been severely compromised by France’s national shutdown of non-essential activities in response to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic,” said European Athletics.
“While preparations for Paris 2020 continue fully as planned and according to schedule, a study of possible alternative scenarios for hosting was requested, including potential postponement, and taking into account all the stakeholder opinions including those of partners, athletes as well as related national and local government authorities in France.”
The executive board meeting was held without president Svein Arne Hansen, who is receiving hospital treatment following a stroke.
“European Athletics and the entire athletics family remain close to Svein Arne and his family in this challenging time and we wish him all the very best for a full recovery,” said Dobromir Karamarinov, European Athletics interim president.
Discussing the European Championships, athletes’ committee chairman Periklis Iakovakis said: “To have the light at the end of the tunnel that Paris 2020 may still go ahead is something positive in these extremely hard times.
“This has been a stressful and confusing period for athletes, we have lost our structure and our sense of normality. We join our larger communities in focusing on the health and well-being of everyone during the Covid-19 outbreak.”
The European 10,000m Cup had been due to take place in London, as part of the popular Highgate Night of the 10,000m PBs meeting at Parliament Hill, for the third successive year on June 6.
It is yet to be announced if the Night of the 10,000m PBs will still be taking place without the European Cup element.
The European Mountain Running Championships had been scheduled for July 4 in Cinfaes, Portugal, while the European U18 Championships had been planned for July 16-19 in Rieti, Italy.