Asian Games 2022 in China postponed amid COVID resurgence

No reason was given for the delay, but China is racing to extinguish its largest outbreak of Covid-19

The Asian Games scheduled to take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in September have been postponed until 2023 because of the COVID-19 situation, the governing Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said on May 6.

The 19th edition of the multi-sports Games, second in size only to the Summer Olympics, was scheduled to take place from September 10-25, 2022 in the capital of Zhejiang province, some 175 kilometres southwest of China's financial centre Shanghai.

The OCA said in a statement after its executive board meeting in Tashkent that the Hangzhou organising committee (HAGOC) had been well prepared to deliver the Games despite the "global challenges".

"However, the ... decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games," it added.

The new dates for the Games would be announced "in the near future".

"The name and the emblem of the 19th Asian Games will remain unchanged, and the OCA believes that the Games will achieve complete success through the joint efforts of all parties."

Organisers had said in early April that all 56 competition venues for the Games had been completed as the city prepared to host more than 11,000 athletes from 44 nations and territories.