The Australian Cycling Federation has postponed the elite and under-19 track championships originally scheduled for March 25-29 at the Ana Meares Velodrome in Brisbane, and cancelled the junior championships (March 18-22) entirely due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis announced that.

The Australian Federation said that the decision was not taken lightly, but that the Australian government had decided that all public events involving more than 500 people should be cancelled as of Monday, March 16, and that to protect all participants and officials in these two championships stated that the only option was to postpone the Elite/U19 championships and cancel the Junior (U15/U17) championships.

"Track Nationals attracts athletes, coaches, families, and spectators from all over Australia. While technically we could have run these events with less than 500 participants, we owe it to the cycling family, and the broader community, to assist the authorities in limiting the spread and impact of Covid-19."

While new dates will be set for the Elite and U19 Track Nationals in Brisbane, the Junior event will be cancelled altogether due to potential disruption to participants' school life.

Also, according to a Cycling Australia press release, the option of holding the event "privately," i.e., without crowds of fans and supporters, would also require group travel for the participants, and while away from home, i.e., unaccompanied by family members, "

"We know that this decision is very disappointing for the players, who have put a lot of time and effort into their preparation. However, we are in unprecedented times and have come to this decision with the welfare of everyone, including players, coaches, officials, and their families and other supporters, as our top priority."