Dubai's Gov Games 2020, an annual sports day for government employees, was postponed on Sunday night in an effort to control the coronavirus outbreak.
"In line with local and international measures being taken to ensure the health and safety of the public" the Gov Games 2020 has been postponed, Dubai Media Office tweeted on Sunday.
A total of 171 teams had confirmed they would compete.
The event, in which Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan competes, was scheduled to take place from March 18 to 21 on Kite Beach near Burj Al Arab.
This year's event was to be celebrated under the theme One Team, One Spirit, with mental and physical challenges to promote diversity and celebrate teamwork among government employees.
The launch of the new "Battle of the Cities" category was expected to welcome teams from the US, France, Sweden, Australia, Russia, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Norway, Greece, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Armenia, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Morocco.