The 2020 Tokyo Marathon will now be restricted to elite runners and wheelchair athletes only due to the coronavirus outbreak, organisers have confirmed.

Over 38,000 runners were expected to take part in the 26.2 mile event, but amateur competitors will now be unable to run the course until the 2021 edition.

The organisers said: "We have been preparing for the Tokyo marathon 2020 while implementing preventive safety measures, however, now that a case of COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been confirmed within Tokyo.

"We cannot continue to launch the event within the scale we originally anticipated."

The event is part of the World Marathon Majors series, along with London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Boston.

The Tokyo 2020 Marathon will take place on March 1.