Sars Puts Brake on France's China Trip

France announced yesterday that it will not send its cyclists to the world track championships in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in August because of the Sars epidemic, increasing the pressure on the sport's authorities, who will decide this week whether to move the event to another venue.

"It is out of the question; we cannot allow our athletes to run risks on this scale," said Jean Pitallier, president of the French Cycling Federation, whose team have dominated the track titles in recent years. He had warned three weeks ago that France would not travel if the outbreak did not subside rapidly.

"We are in daily contact with the Chinese authorities and are keeping abreast of the situation," said an International Cycling Union spokesman. The ICU began making contingency plans a few weeks ago, when teams were advised not to finalise their arrangements for Shenzhen, which is just over theformer border from Hong Kong.

Apparently there are no plans to move the championships to Manchester, which held the 1996 and 2000 title series, even though Britain has emerged as the major force behind France.

Alternative venues being considered include Beijing, which is likely to be ruled out for the same reasons as Shenzhen, or another part of China, and it is still possible the championships will return to Europe, either to Stuttgart or Vienna.

The world badminton championships in Birmingham on May 12-18 are likely to be called off. The sport's power base is Asia, badly hit by Sars. A decision is expected within days.