Thailand's MotoGP was postponed over the new coronavirus on Monday as motorcycling's premier championship took its second hit in two days from the deadly outbreak.
A day after the season-opening Qatar MotoGP was axed, Thailand organisers postponed the March 20-22 race in Buriram without setting a new date.
"I don't say it's cancelled, I just say it is postponed until time allows us to do (the event)," Anutin Charnvirakul, chairman of the Thailand MotoGP organising committee, told AFP.
"It's because of the coronavirus," added Anutin, who is also Thailand's deputy prime minister and health minister.
"We need to postpone it today until further notice." The move means both of the season's first two races have been shelved. The next race on the schedule is in Austin, Texas on April 5.
It could also put renewed focus on Formula One, whose season starts with the Australian Grand Prix on March 15.
The Chinese F1 Grand Prix has already been postponed, and Vietnam is due to host its inaugural race in Hanoi on April 5.
However, Hanoi's mayor said last week that the city was "ready to cancel it in case of the epidemic's progression".
The virus originating from China, which has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide, has had a heavy impact on sports events, forcing a long list of postponements and cancellations.
"The committee decided to postpone the race due to the widespread of COVID-19 around the world," Anutin said in an organising committee statement.
"People who attend, racers and teams could come from at-risk countries. Thailand has to postpone for the safety of Thai people until the situation is better." - 'Best interests of the nation' -
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