The European Tour has postponed next week's Magical Kenya Open after the government of Kenya ordered "all meetings and conferences in the country of an international nature" to be delayed in response to coronavirus.
The tournament was set to be played at Karen Country Club in Nairobi from March 12-15.
"We understand and totally respect the decision made by the Government of Kenya in these difficult times," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley in a statement. “We are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the season, but that remains simply a possibility right now – we have no definitive plans at this stage.
“I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Kenyan Government for their unwavering support, alongside Kenya Open Golf Limited Chairman Peter Kanyago and Tournament Director Patrick Obath for their strenuous efforts and commitment. We look forward to returning to Kenya in due course.”
This marks the third event on the European Tour schedule to be postponed or cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus. The Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open, which were set to played in April, have been taken off the schedule.
Coronavirus has now infected more than 100,000 people worldwide, and the World Health Organization continues to call for more governments to cooperate with each other to prevent its further spread.
