Révész Máriusz, member of the National Assembly of Hungary, announced in a Facebook post that his country will not host the departure of the 2020 Giro d'Italia, scheduled for May 9 with a time trial in Budapest. The winner of the last cycling edition was the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz.

Also, two more stages were going to be held in Hungarian territory, which evidently will not be disputed either: "Due to the serious epidemic situation (due to the coronavirus) in Europe, it will not be possible to enjoy the first three stages of the Giro in Hungary in May 2020. In the last three weeks, several meetings have been held between Hungarians and Italians, and the organizing committee has repeatedly stated that the competition must not endanger the safety and health of our compatriots."

Hungary announced yesterday that the Grande Partenza was canceled: "On March 12, we indicated to the Italian partner during a video conference that the start of the Giro could not take place in Hungary at the originally planned time.

Together with Mauro Vegni, the race director, the parties have agreed to aim to modify the contract so that the Giro travels to Hungary at a later date.

According to Vegni, there are other options and a Plan B for the Giro to run normally, something that is increasingly unlikely. Without the Hungarian stages, the race would resume in Sicily on May 12 or new dates would be considered. (D)