Asian Games 2022 postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 crisis

• 2022 Asian Games postponed for indefinite period due to COVID-19 related developments. 
• More than 11,000 athletes from 44 countries were to take part in 19th Asian Games.
• In addition, 3rd Asian Youth Games 2021 officially cancelled. 

KARACHI: The 2022 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in China’s city of Hangzhou, have been postponed for an indefinite period due to COVID-19 related developments in the country, the organisers said on Friday.

In addition, the Olympic Council of Asia has also confirmed that the 3rd Asian Youth Games 2021, originally scheduled to be held last year but was rescheduled for this year, are now officially cancelled.

More than 11,000 athletes from 44 countries were to take part in the 19th Asian Games in September.

“Following detailed discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), the OCA Executive Board (EB) today decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10-25, 2022,” said the Olympic Council of Asia in a statement.

The new dates, according to the statement, will be agreed between the OCA, the COC and the HAGOC and announced in the near future.

The name and emblem of the 19th Asian Games will remain unchanged.

“HAGOC (the games organising committee) has been very well prepared to deliver the games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the games,” it said.

The OCA added that its Executive Board also studied the situation of the 3rd Asian Youth Games, which was scheduled for December 20-28 this year in Shantou, China.

“After discussion with the COC and the Organising Committee, the OCA EB decided that as the Asian Youth Games had already been postponed once, the Asian Youth Games Shantou 2021 will be cancelled. The next Asian Youth Games will therefore be held in 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,” it said.

The organisers of the games had last month said that Hangzhou has completed constructing some 56 competition venues for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

Some events of the Asian Games were due to be held in other provincial cities including Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing and Jinhua.