The Osim Sundown Marathon has joined a slew of Singapore sports events that have been cancelled owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

The race organisers announced yesterday that the May 23 mass running event would not go ahead after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a pandemic. It has infected more than 127,000 and killed over 4,700 worldwide.

One of the largest running events here, the Sundown is expected to draw a similar number of 25,000 participants this time.

The marathon's spokesman Max Phua said: "This decision is not made lightly. This is the first time in our 13-year history that we have to cancel a race.

"Even though this decision may derail the plans of some 25,000 runners we host year-on-year, public health and safety come first. Every year, Sundown attracts runners from over 30 countries. This also means it elevates the health risk above all other public outings.

"We choose to put no one in danger. We appreciate the commitment of all the runners who are looking forward to the race and hope to have their continued support next year."

While Loveena Sharma, who had signed up for the 21.1km race, was a little disappointed, the graduate student, 24, said it was a responsible decision due to the pandemic.

She added: "There will be other marathons to train for once the coronavirus situation is under control. So hopefully, most runners can keep training on their own time and continue to enjoy the sport."

Those who have registered this year will gain direct entry into next year's event. Any requested refunds will be handled by race organiser Infinitus Productions.

This is the first major local running event to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 disease.

Several other runs have been postponed, such as the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge (pushed back to Nov 26 from April 8), while new dates for the March 21 Home Team NS Adventure Race and the March 22 Terry Fox Singapore Run have yet to be confirmed.

Other marquee events here have also been hit, with the cancellation of the Feb 27-March 1 HSBC Women's World Championship golf tournament and football's International Champions Cup, scheduled for July. The April 11-12 HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens has been postponed to October.

Kimberly Kwek