The India national team getting ready to leave from the Trident Bandra Kurla Hotel to the race course of the Mumbai Cyclothon, Saxo Bank riders leaving in the background. (Image credit: Remko Kramer)
The India Cyclothon in Dehli, India, a UCI 1.2 race, has been postponed after a September 7 bomb blast that killed 12 people and wounded 76 near the city's high court.
The race, due to be run on September 11, was to have seen the inclusion of the Pakistani national team according to The Times of India, but the team was informed today that the event has been put off indefinitely.
"We had prepared to send an eight-member team to Delhi, but we have been told the event has been postponed as the Indian government has directed the organisers to postpone the event for an indefinite period because of the bomb blast incident," said Idrees Haider Khawaja, the secretary of the Pakistan Cycling Federation.
India had frozen ties with Pakistan after a 2008 blast in Mumbai, and had only recently opened up the country's borders to allowing Pakistani teams to participate in sporting events. It was reported that the Pakistani team's invitation will still be valid for the race when a new date is announced.
"It's indeed sad as we have spent a lot of money in preparation for the race," said Khawaja. "It all went in vain but we have another race coming up in Syria for which we are sending our top four cyclists later this month."
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