The coronavirus is continuing to cause havoc for sporting events with World Rowing confirming this morning two of their World Cup regattas being cancelled due to the outbreak.
The Rowing Cups I and II, which were both set to take place in Italy, have been cancelled.
New Zealand crews had been scheduled to compete in the second World Cup regatta.
The first regatta was scheduled to be held in Sabaudia and the second in Varese but with Italy now in a full country lockdown, World Rowing said both were no longer feasible.
"The health and safety of the athletes and all other participants as well as the general public are the priorities of all parties involved in the organisation of these events," World Rowing said in a statement.
"We have all realised the multitude of issues that would prevent teams from travelling to Italy, including the travel restrictions being imposed by an increasing number of national authorities, mandatory and voluntary quarantine periods, and lack of medical coverage for coronavirus in some countries.
"These factors, amongst others, would have likely limited the participation of Member Federations in the events scheduled in Italy in April and May 2020.
"We understood that prompt and decisive action was sought and needed in order to minimise the negative financial impacts on all stakeholders given a pragmatic analysis of the situation."
The third regatta in Switzerland in late May, which doubles as the sport's final Olympic qualifier, is still on at this stage.
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