Vietnam's First F1 Grand Prix Canceled Due To Pandemic

Vietnam’s first F1 grand prix "has been officially cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic," organizers said on Friday. The Vietnamese Grand Prix was originally scheduled to take place in April. Vietnam Grand Prix Corp said in an emailed statement, "This has been an extremely difficult but necessary decision to reach in view of the continued uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus pandemic." Vietnam has recorded over 1,110 COVID-19 infections, with 35 deaths, Ministry of Health data showed. Hanoi city authorities had hoped to hold the race in November, but Vietnam Grand Prix Corp CEO Le Ngoc Chi said on Friday that cancellation "emerged as the only option after a review of safety criteria" (REUTERS, 10/15).

Portugal’s health authority said on Friday that it was reconsidering whether to allow fans into upcoming sports events, including the F1 race, scheduled for October 25, "for which thousands of tickets had been sold," as it is trying to contain a surge in COVID-19 infections (REUTERS, 10/16).