Asian games 2022 postponed after recent Covid surge in China

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Friday postponed the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, scheduled between September 10 to 25, following "detailed discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC)".

The OCA took the decision at its Executive Board meeting currently underway in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where its director general, Husain Al Musallam, and acting president, Randhir Singh, were present.

The fresh dates for the quadrennial continental showpiece will be announced in "due course", said the statement.

The decision has come after several provinces of China reported a spurt in Covid-19 cases.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games too were postponed by a year because of Covid-19 and held last year.

Media reports had been speculating about the postponement of the Asian Games for the last fortnight, and the decision did not come as a surprise, given the prevailing pandemic situation in China and other Asian countries.