BY Unless you are living on a different planet, COVID-19 would definitely have affected you in one way or another. Work From Home (WFH) schemes, social distancing and TraceTogether are just some of the terms that we are adapting to in the last couple of weeks. Businesses are impacted. Even going to ActiveSG gyms - with two rounds of capacity reductions - take some getting used to. Initially, the government imposed a ban on any events with more than 250 persons by end of June; then another bill was passed disallowing any gathering of more than 10 persons until end of April, and subject to a review.
Further ashore, borders are quickly being closed. Malaysia is now on a Movement Control Order (MCO), Thailand is in a state of emergency, Australia has many restrictions and USA and and Europe are having lockdowns and are the new epicentre for this deadly virus. China and South Korea seem to manage to contain the situation. But lack of speed and transparency in Indonesia, Myanmar and Laos may cause implosions to happen. The countries and continents mentioned hold popular races that runners based in Singapore would look forward to.
So, what does it mean now for the active sports communities? Most of the races planned for the first half of 2020 are either cancelled or postponed, with rescheduled dates being bunched up around the last quarter. Refund policies for registration fees, airlines and hotels can be ambiguous or unsatisfactory. Many airlines most recently decided that they would cut international routes. In short, it becomes tough for runners to plan their racing calendar for the remaining part of this year.
If you have not been able to keep up with race postponements and cancellations, our team at RUN Singapore has compiled the list updated as of 1 April.
| SINGAPORE | ||
| EVENT | ORIGINAL DATE | STATUS |
| Marina Run | 15 Feb | Postponed |
| Relay for Life - Singapore Cancer Society | 15 Feb | Cancelled |
| Run for Light | 22 Feb | Postponed to 25 Jul |
| Run for Hope | 23 Feb | Postponed to 16 Aug |
| Home Team NS Adventure Race | 21 Mar | Postponed |
| Terry Fox Run | 22 Mar | Postponed |
| Safari Zoo Run | 29 Mar | Postponed |
| Forest Force 50 | 29 Mar | Postponed |
| 2XU Compression Run | 5 Apr | Postponed |
| JP Morgan Corporate Challenge | 8 Apr | Postponed to 26 Nov |
| Ground Zero Run | 19 Apr | Postponed to 6 Sep |
| INCOME Eco Run | 26 Apr | Cancelled |
| Sundown Marathon | 23 May | Cancelled |
| OVERSEAS | ||
| Tokyo Marathon | 1 Mar | Cancelled |
| Barcelona Marathon | 15 Mar | Postponed to 25 Oct |
| Seoul Marathon | 22 Mar | Cancelled |
| Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji | 23-25 Apr | Cancelled |
| Rome Marathon | 29 Mar | Cancelled |
| Paris Marathon | 5 Apr | Postponed to 18 Oct |
| Boston Marathon | 20 Apr | Postponed to 14 Sep |
| London Marathon | 26 Apr | Postponed to 4 Oct |
| Ultra-Trail Australia | 14-17 May | Postponed to 22-25 Oct |
| Kuala Lumpur Marathon | 13-14 Jun | As planned |
| Gold Coast Marathon | 4-5 Jul | As planned. To review by 19 May |
The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly. Postponed races may be rescheduled again, or cancelled. Tune in to the relevant social media channels for further updates.
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