Isle of Man TT CANCELLED due to coronavirus pandemic

The event will not be rescheduled, it was confirmed by the Manx Government on Monday afternoon.

It had been mooted that the TT could be run in August in place of the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix, but Chief Minister Howard Quayle ruled out that possibility during a live news conference.

The announcement comes after the Cookstown 100 and Tandragee 100 road races in Northern Ireland were postponed.

It now seems certain the organisers of the North West 200 will take similar action in relation to the international road race, which is scheduled to take place from May 12-16.

The decision to axe the TT (May 31-June 12) was made following confirmation that the Island has stepped up its measures to protect the population against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laurence Skelly MHK, Minister for Enterprise, said: "The decision to cancel has not been taken lightly and all options including postponement and delaying the decision have been considered in detail.

"Representatives from the Isle of Man Government will now discuss the implications with all relevant businesses, stakeholders and individuals affected by this cancellation, which it recognises will be significant.

"With the visitor restriction in place for the foreseeable future we wanted to make the decision now to give businesses, visitors and all involved stakeholders time to manage the impact going forward. The Isle of Man, and the Isle of Man TT, are faced with unique challenges regarding COVID-19 and making this decision will provide certainty to teams, competitors, sponsors and stakeholders of the event and to visitors across the globe.

"The decision also aims to provide reassurance for our residents and healthcare professionals that the health and well-being of the Isle of Man’s residents is the single biggest priority and focus of this Government."

The Department for Enterprise confirmed that full refunds for all Official Tickets including Grandstand tickets, Hospitality Packages and other Official Event Experiences purchased through iomttraces.com would be refunded 'in due course'.

The Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix is still scheduled to take place this summer, with the festival due to commence from August 22.