Spectators will not be allowed at the 2021 Alpine Skiing World Championships to be held next month in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy's sports minister said on Tuesday, due to coronavirus restrictions.
"The government's scientific committee considers the participation of spectators to be too risky," minister Vincenzo Spadafora said in a statement.
Italy has registered 79,819 COVID-19 deaths since its outbreak came to light on Feb. 21, the second-highest toll in Europe and the sixth-highest in the world.
Cortina d'Ampezzo, located in the Dolomites, will also host the 2026 Winter Olympics together with the northern Italian city of Milan.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones)
