THE Ironman triathlon due to take place in Weymouth next month has been cancelled with organisers citing health and safety concerns.

Organisers of the event have been in talks with Weymouth Town Council and Dorset Council to come to a decision on whether the competition should take place or not during the coronavirus pandemic.

They confirmed yesterday that the event has been postponed to September 2021.

A spokesman for Ironman said: "In a meeting earlier this week, Dorset’s multi-agency Safety Advisory Group was satisfied that Ironman’s proposed health and safety measures were well thought through, and that participants, staff and the wider public would have been sufficiently protected from potential COVID-19 infection.

"However, following discussions at both Dorset Council and Weymouth Town Council yesterday, councillors have requested that Ironman re-schedule the race to 2021, citing local community concerns around such a large event taking place during the pandemic and their feeling that the timing just isn’t right at the moment.

"In what has been a continually evolving and challenging time globally, we recognize that this decision due to the above-mentioned unforeseen events may come as a disappointment and we share in those feelings."

Athletes registered for the event will receive emails from organisers with details on what to do next.