Budapest, March 4 (IANS): The International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced on Wednesday that its annual congress in Budapest, Hungary, that was scheduled to be held in March, has been postponed in light of the outbreak of the fast spreading coronavirus.

"Extraordinary AIBA Congress, scheduled in Budapest on March, is postponed for 3-month period because of Coronavirus outbreak. AIBA Executive Committee took this decision by e-mail vote due to the force majeure. AIBA National Federations are invited to attend an Extraordinary AIBA Congress on June 20th, 2020 in Budapest, Hungary," the AIBA said in a statement.

The postponement prompts an extension of Mohamed Moustahsane as AIBA Interim President until the Extraordinary AIBA Congress to be held on June 20.

"With the latest development of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, many Governments are considering restrictive measures including cancellation of events in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, bearing in mind that such measures and recommendations are in constant evolution", said Moustahsane in the AIBA statement.

The move is prompted by a letter from the Hungarian Boxing Federation which asked AIBA to postpone the Congress due to concerns raised by Hungarian Health Authorities. It comes a few days after the cancellation of the European leg of AIBA's continental forum in Italy, which has been grappling with the pandemic with the latest figures stating that the disease has claimed almost 80 lives in the country.