2021 Tokyo Marathon postponed until after Olympics

Organisers on Friday said that 2021's Tokyo marathon has been postponed until after the delayed 2020 Olympics as coronavirus continues to rage across the world.

Earlier, the race was set to take place on March 7, 2021. This race includes 38,000 runners which will also include some top athletes.

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But with restricted entry into the country and rules around big events, it is now being pushed back to October 17 "due to various restrictions related to the new coronavirus," a spokesman for the Tokyo Marathon Foundation told AFP.

Marathon across the world have been cancelled or been postponed due to coronavirus pandemic.

In 2020, Tokyo marathon was held in March with a reduced field of around 200 elite runners.

According to the spokesman, holding the marathon later in 2021 could allow a larger race to take place, but added that the number of entrants was yet to be decided.

The news comes as questions swirl about how and whether the Olympics, also forced back a year by the COVID crisis, will go forward.

They are set to open on July 23, 2021, and organisers insist it can be done safely.

But many countries are experiencing fresh waves of infection and big questions, including whether spectators will be allowed, remain unresolved.

(Inputs from AFP)