Beijing, April 9 (IANS) The Beijing Half Marathon, a core event of the annual Beijing International Running Festival slated for mid-April, will be postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, local organisers announced on Wednesday.

"In line with relevant regulations on the prevention and containment of COVID-19, we have taken a decision to postpone the Beijing International Running Festival for the sake of the people's health," the Organizing Committee said in a statement, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The new date for the event will be announced at later stage."

The Beijing International Running Festival was launched in 1956 and the number of participants has expanded from around 1,000 to more than 20,000.

More than 88,000 people across the world have lost their lives due to COVID-19 while over a million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus.

--IANS aak/