The UCI has confirmed that the Cyclocross World Championships will be held in Oostende this weekend despite the outbreak of the so-called South African form of coronavirus in the Belgian coastal resort of Oostende.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the governing body said that following discussions with the city of Oostende, the Belgian Cycling Federation, and the Flanders Ministry of Sport, it had agreed to "reduce the number of certified riders and tighten hygiene regulations."

"I would like to thank all the riders, organizers and competent authorities for the spirit of cooperation shown by them, which has enabled us to defend the championships for the benefit of riders, viewers, partners and all fans of our sport, despite the current very difficult situation," UCI President David Lapartiento He said.

The UCI statement does not specify what additional health measures will be imposed for the weekend's races, but according to Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab), all athletes, media, and organization members participating in the World Championships must undergo additional PCR testing starting Friday The test must be performed by a qualified person. It also appears that further restrictions will be placed on contact between the various bubbles of athletes, media, and organizations participating in the World Championships.

The UCI previously confirmed that due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, there will be no junior events at this year's World Cyclocross Championships, but that the under 23 and elite events will take place as scheduled. [The under 23 men's and elite women's races will be held on Saturday, with the under 23 women's and elite men's races on Sunday.

In the elite women's race, Seylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands) will defend the rainbow jersey, while in the elite men's race, Mathieu van der Pol (Netherlands) will battle Wout van Aert (Belgium) for the title.

Van der Pol and Van Aart have dominated the World Championships for the past six years, winning three titles each, and Zdeněk Štybar (Czech Republic) is the last rider to become World Champion, and his participation in Oostende is his first winter cyclo-cross race.