For fear of the spread of the dangerous Ebola virus, the sports minister of Burkina Faso canceled the annual and increasingly important ten-day race in Africa.
In agreement with the organizers of the Tour de Faso, which should have run through the African country from October 24th to November 2nd, 2014, this year's 28th edition was canceled without further ado. Although Burkina Faso does not border any of the three West African countries hardest hit by the deadly virus outbreak, officials fear holding the cycle race could help spread the disease.
The race organizer Francis Ducreux, two-time Tour de France participant, considers this measure to be “a very good thing”, especially since the Ebola virus has already claimed more than 3300 lives in Africa. The organizers and high-ranking politicians are likely to fear that foreign drivers from the 15 participating teams could bring the virus to Burkina Faso. The Grand Prix de l'Impossible, whose field of drivers consists exclusively of local athletes, is not affected by the cancellation and will take place on November 7th and 8th, 2014 as planned.
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