Giro d’Italia 2020 postponed due to coronavirus

The iconic race has been forced to postpone the event due to a state of emergency in Hungary, where the opening three stages will take place

Jack Rathborn
Friday 13 March 2020 14:52 GMT
Comments
Richard Carapaz lifts the trophy after winning the general classification
Richard Carapaz lifts the trophy after winning the general classification (AFP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The 2020 Giro d’Italia has been postponed due to coronavirus.

The Grande Partenza for the iconic three-week Grand Tour race was due to begin on 9 May in Budapest, with three stages in total scheduled to take place in Hungary.

But a state of emergency in the country due to COVID-19 now means the race will be postponed.

A statement from the race read: “In response to the spread of coronavirus the Hungarian government has declared a state of emergency. This prohibits the organisation of mass events and makes it impossible to organise international events.

“As a consequence, the Organising Committee of the Giro d’Italia’s Hungarian stages declared that the Giro’s start could not be held in Hungary at the originally scheduled time. All parties have agreed that they are determined to work together to enable the Giro d’Italia to depart from Hungary at a later time.

“RCS Sport, having taken note of the international and national situation, announces that the date of the 2020 Giro d’Italia is thereby postponed. The new date will be announced no earlier than 3 April when the provisions of the DPCM of 4 March 2020 will end, and only after having consulted with appropriate representatives of the Italian Government, local and territorial authorities and Italian and international sports institutions.”

Richard Carapaz won the coveted pink jersey – maglia rosa – the Ecuadorian’s first Grand Tour general classification victory.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in