(UPDATE: 27/02/2020 1411H) The organisers of the IWA Outdoor Classics have announced the postponement of the event to a latter date which has not been determined yet. We have been expecting this with the increasing number of cases of people infected with the Covid-19 virus. Below is the first announcement regarding the postponement:

You may have read here on Popular Airsoft that some airsoft and airsoft-related companies that planned on being exhibitors or sending representatives to the IWA Outdoor Classics 2020 that is to take place next week, have cancelled their participation due to concerns regarding the Covid-19 epidemic. Many events in affected locations in Asia and Europe have been cancelled so as to minimise the spread of the virus, which originated from Wuhan in Hubei, China.

Governments have advised their citizens not to travel to the locations affected unless it is essential travel. They are also working on contingency plans to help stop the spread of the virus and are working with other governments and health organisations to work on a cure or vaccine round the clock.

We have been receiving enquiries if the IWA Outdoor Classics 2020 is cancelled. Whilst we prefer to direct them to the official website, we also want to help put out the information as sent in by the organisers. As of this writing, the event will be held as planned which you can read in the statement below:

Dear exhibitors and visitors,

as NürnbergMesse we organize almost one international trade fair per week. In times like these, this also means that we are constantly concerned with the effects of the Corona Virus on our events. As a company, we consider the risks and opportunities of holding an exhibition very carefully and very rationally.

And we certainly pay attention to the reactions and decisions of our customers – your reactions, dear exhibitors and visitors. We know that you are checking very carefully whether your participation in a trade fair will be as successful as we all wish. Whether the opportunities are worth the perceived risk.

We have had a number of enquiries about coronavirus (COVID-19) and would like to assure you that the medical care available at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg will be at its usual highly professional level, and that exhibitors, trade visitors and journalists will enjoy the best possible protection. An entire package of measures is in place to ensure you are fully protected: in addition to our proven emergency management systems and the Bavarian Red Cross station, which will have interpreters standing by, extra disinfectant dispensers will be placed around the venue, and heavily used areas and fittings like entrances, door handles and staircases will be kept clean over and above their usual high standard.

We will also remain in constant close contact with the health authorities at a federal, State and local level, and will implement any instructions they issue. So you can rest assured that you are in safe hands here in Nuremberg!

Our personal request to you: let us stand together – especially in these challenging times.

Dr. Roland Fleck & Peter Ottmann
CEOs NürnbergMesse Group

You can read the statement at the IWA Outdoor Classics website as well.

The organisers are coordinating with German authorities at the Federal and State levels and monitoring of the situation in Europe especially with the outbreak of the virus in Italy which now has the largest number of infected people and deaths in Europe.

We should all not panic and always read the official sources for updates as well as follow measures to help stop the spread of the virus. We stress on being sceptical on posts about preventive measures and reports being posted on social media as they are either not truthful or purposely done to cause confusion and panic. Always ask for their sources and verify them. If they are not credible and not coming from official sources, flag them and report them to the owners of the social media platform.

We keenly monitoring the developments as we also have our own events such as participation in IWA Outdoor Classics 2020 as part of the media and the Airsoft Meetup which will take place there on the 8th of March. We are assessing the situation daily and we’ll post updates here.

Keep safe!