This archive report was first published on 22 April 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the postponement of the Berlin Marathon, a major annual event in Germany. The marathon was scheduled to take place on September 27, 2020, but organizers announced that it would not go ahead as planned.
According to a statement from the race officials, the decision was made due to a government ban on large-scale gatherings in the German capital until October 24, 2020. The ban applies to events involving more than 5,000 people, and the Berlin Marathon was one of the events affected.
Organizers did not provide any new dates for the marathon, but it is expected to be rescheduled for a later date. The event typically attracts tens of thousands of runners each year, and it has been a major highlight of the Berlin sports calendar.
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele won the race for the second time in 2019, missing out on the world record by just two seconds.
