London, Mar 17 (IANS): The Boxing Road to Tokyo European qualifier in London has been suspended by the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed more than 6,000 lives across the world.

The European qualifier, which started on March 14 and was planned to run until March 24, was suspended on Monday evening. The competition involved more than 300 athletes from 45 European countries and 77 Olympic berths to distribute.

The world qualifier, scheduled for Paris, has also been suspended. The qualifier for the Americas was suspended last week.

In a statement, the BTF said: "Safeguarding the well-being of the athletes, officials and all other participants is a top priority for the BTF."

"The BTF eventually took the decision to suspend the event today, amid increasing global travel restrictions and quarantine measures, in order to allow the participants from over 60 countries to adjust their travel plans and return home."

"The BTF will continue to evaluate the situation daily, aiming to complete the distribution of the remaining Tokyo 2020 boxing quota places in May and June," it added.