MADRID — The Barcelona Marathon, which was scheduled for March 15 with 17,000 registered runners, has been postponed until October to contain the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, city officials said on Saturday.

"We have agreed to postpone the event to keep working on COVID-19 containment in line with the recommendations of the health authorities and the WHO regarding major events," Barcelona city council said in a statement.

"The Barcelona Marathon will now be held on Oct. 25," it said of the race which draws many runners from outside Spain.

Fernando Simon, the health ministry's chief coordinator for emergencies, said the annual race normally drew at least 1,000 runners from areas which are currently considered infection hotspots.

"For non-professional sporting events, the recommendation is to postpone or suspend them, particularly events with a high number of participants from risk zones," he said.

"In this case, the Barcelona Marathon usually has more than 1,000 participants coming from areas which are currently risk zones." — AFP