BERLIN - The Berlin Marathon will not be staged on Sept 27 due to a government ban on mass gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced Tuesday, without giving any new dates.

"We have learned that all events involving more than 5,000 people will be banned until October 24," race officials said in a statement.

"That applies to lots of events, including the Berlin Marathon, which will not be able to take place on September 26-27 as planned," they added.

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele won the race for the second time in 2019, missing out on the world record by just two seconds.