With the coronovirus spreading through China, Formula One decided to postpone the Chinese Grand Prix, according to ESPN. The event, which is held in Shanghai, was scheduled for April 19, but racing promoter Juss Sports Group asked for the race to be postponed.
Formula One put out a statement on Wednesday in which the racing organization said that they are working with local authorities and the promoter to look into "the viability of potential alternative dates for the Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve."
Formula One boss Chase Carey noted that the Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled for the safety of everyone involved.
"We're not going to do something that isn't good for us or the teams," he said at an event in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In addition, Formula One is continuing to monitor Vietnam's connection to the coronavirus since it shares a border with China. The Vietnam Grand Prix is scheduled for April 5 and as of right now, it's still expected to take place.
"The reality of today, in most other countries [away from China], the number of people affected is a handful," Carey said. "But we don't know what it will be in a week or two."
The Chinese Grand Prix is the first Formula One race to be postponed since the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was related to civil unrest in the region.
According to CBS News, there have been more than 1,100 deaths and 45,500 people have gotten sick as a result of the coronavirus.
Some Olympic qualifying events have already been postponed in the wake of the coronavirus. Last month, the World Athletics governing body announced that the World Athletics Indoor Championships were being moved to 2021. The Indoor Championships were originally scheduled to take place in Nanjing in mid-March.
In addition, the first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races were canceled due to the coronavirus. The races were originally scheduled for Feb. 15 and 16. The men's downhill and super-G races were scheduled to take place during the two-day period.
