The Miami Open, which brings together the world's top men's and women's tennis players, has been suspended due to growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, the Miami-Dade County mayor said on Thursday.
"Although we do not have community spread at this time, we want to take the pre-emptive steps to keep it that way," Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said in a written statement, cancelling mass gatherings in the area.
The tournament said in a tweet: "We understand and support the mayor's decision".
A March 22 NASCAR race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway will be held without fans, the racing association said on social media, along with another event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Last year’s Miami Open featured players from over 40 countries and attracted nearly 400,000 spectators.
The inaugural edition of the multi-nation Fed Cup finals that were scheduled to be held in Budapest next month was postponed on Wednesday due to the outbreak.
The cancellation of the two-week annual event, which was set to start on March 23, comes on the heels of Sunday’s last-minute cancellation of the Indian Wells tournament in Southern California due to similar concerns about the pandemic.
(Reporting by Steve Keating, writing by Amy Tennery; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Ken Ferris)
