Our everyday lives are still very much in the grip of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Swiss Federal Council recently announced that some restrictions set up to fight the spread of the pandemic could be eased. Various areas of the country’s economy, public life, and certain aspects in sports will thus soon be somewhat less restricted. However, no specific decisions with regard to the current ban on major events have been made so far. It remains unclear when large events will be allowed again, or whether the current ban might be extended.
At Weltklasse Zürich, (as at 24 April) we are preparing to stage all Weltklasse Zürich events on Sechseläutenplatz, Zurich Main Station, and Letzigrund Stadium. Being fully aware of the seriousness of the situation, however, we are also looking into various scenarios and potential options. The health of everyone is our top priority in this context.
The fact is that Weltklasse Zürich, as always, strives to present the world’s best athletes to the world’s best audience. Our ambition makes planning particularly complex in the present circumstances: As a major Swiss event, we have to observe the requirements put out by the federal government. At the same time, we act as host to the final events of a global athletics series and therefore have to consider the international overall situation with regard to risk areas, closed borders, travel restrictions, and quarantines. The most difficult challenge in all this is that there is no way to predict how long the coronavirus crisis will affect our own country, Europe, and other parts of the world, or when which countries will allow travelling again. In some places, major events have been banned until the end of August or even until later dates. In Switzerland, there is no authoritative information on large events yet.
The global athletics community, members of the Diamond League, and our local athletics community are discussing the difficult situation with intensity. We expect that we will be able to say with certainty what the upcoming international athletics outdoor season will look like and whether Weltklasse Zürich 2020 will be held as planned at some point in May.
Due to the uncertainty of the current situation, we have decided to postpone the start of this year’s ticket sale. As soon as we know more with regard to the 2020 edition of Weltklasse Zürich, we will notify fans of ticket sale procedures.
Andreas Hediger & Christoph Joho
Co-Meeting-Directors Weltklasse Zürich
