Beijing, November 26: China on Friday cancelled the 2021 Beijing Marathon amidst rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, ahead of the Winter Olympics in February.

The Beijing Marathon has been cancelled for a second consecutive year in order to protect athletes and citizens as well as control the risk of the possible spread of COVID-19, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Also Read | Novak Djokovic Has Not Shared His Vaccination Status: Australian Open Chief.

The announcement was made by the Organising Committee of the Beijing Marathon. China is scheduled to organise the Winter Olympics in February.

Beijing is recovering from the recent relapse of COVID-19 cases. Also Read | 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks: Virat Kohli, Wasim Jaffer, Venkatesh Prasad and Virender Sehwag Pay Tribute to Fallen Heroes.

The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported four new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

Of the four local cases, three were reported in Shanghai and one in Liaoning, it said.

Thursday also saw reports of nine imported cases in four provincial-level regions, said the Commission. The organising committee will reserve places for all the contestants who have obtained the qualification this year until 2022. The reserved contestants must meet the registration requirements and relevant epidemic prevention regulations for the 2022 Beijing Marathon.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)