The Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok 2021 has been postponed until June 27 to avoid mass gatherings amid the second wave of coronavirus cases in the country.
The event was originally scheduled for March 14.
According to the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Yuthasak Supasorn, the TAT had discussed the event with the organizers and health-related agencies. It said they had agreed to delay it for everyone’s sake.
Through a Facebook statement, the organizing committee said that the new COVID-19 outbreak had prompted the government to announce new regulations.
New measures included interprovincial travel restrictions and a ban on large events with large numbers of attendees.
The government is considering easing some of those restrictions to help boost the economy and society in general. However, the TAT said they decided to postpone the event to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus and avoid the increase in cases.
Now, participants have two options available.
The committee will allow them to register for the new event date or to enroll for next year’s race, which has been scheduled for March 13, 2022. It also established a working group aimed at helping participants who are out of pocket for expenses such as their accommodation expenses caused by the delay.
Last year, more than 28,000 people participated in the Amazing Thailand Bangkok.
The bronze label event is government-backed. The authorities have promoted it as part of their plans to establish Thailand as a sports hub destination.
Wednesday’s decision came a day after the cabinet agreed to postpone the kingdom’s five-year contract to host MotoGP.
This is one of the most important annual events in the country and has been suspended for one year. However, officials alleged that these actions are intended to curb the increase in coronavirus cases that have significantly multiplied the number of infections in Thailand since December last year.
The country has logged more than 23,100 COVID-19 cases and 79 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Most of them have been recorded during the last month, prompting the government to impose stricter restrictions.
