Moscow [Russia], May 6 (ANI/Sputnik): The Summer World University Games in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province have been postponed to 2023, the International Federation of University Sports (FISU) said on Friday.

The university games in Chengdu had initially been scheduled for August 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic was postponed to June 26 - July 7 this year.

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"The decision to reschedule Chengdu 2021 is not one that was made easily, but it is the right decision for university athletes. Their welfare is always our number one priority. Continued uncertainty over conditions has made rescheduling the sensible choice - a number of National University Sports Federations had already changed their plans," FISU Acting President Leonz Eder said.

In recent months, China has been struggling with a new wave of coronavirus infection caused by the Omicron strain of COVID-19. New outbreaks of the disease have been registered in many cities of the country, the largest of which was recorded in Shanghai, forcing the authorities to introduce a full lockdown of the multi-million city.

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Beijing has also been taking progressively stronger anti-epidemic measures in the last week due to the increase in the number of infected. Nearly the whole population of the capital passed 6 rounds of PCR testing in a week, and more than 60 subway stations are closed. Restaurants, public transport, and public places are only open to those with a negative PCR test.

In April, FISU decided to suspend the Russian city of Yekaterinburg from hosting the 2023 world university games. FISU also announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes, as well as officials, will not be able to participate in competitions and events under the auspices of the organization until at least the end of this year. (ANI/Sputnik)

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