The Latest: Diamond League calls off first 3 meets of season

The Diamond League has called off its first three track meets of the season. The Diamond League was scheduled to start in Qatar next month. Two meets in China in May were to follow. The Diamond League says travel restrictions and disrupted preparations caused by the coronavirus outbreak have made it impossible to stage those competitions on time.

The season is now tentatively set to begin in Stockholm on May 24.

Only one of the three canceled meets has been rescheduled. The event in Shanghai is now set for Aug. 13. The meet in Qatar and the second Chinese meet have been postponed indefinitely but could be restaged after the Diamond League final in September.

The 2020 season was supposed to see a shift in how the Diamond League is run with an extended 15-meet season and fewer events at each.

China has already resumed a partial track and field schedule after the virus outbreak subsided. It was supposed to host the world indoor championships this month in Nanjing but that event was moved to 2021.