Some of Europe’s top players had been expected to come to Warsaw in mid-September to compete for five singles and doubles titles.
The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) said on Tuesday it was postponing the event due to an increased number of coronavirus cases in many parts of the continent, combined with travel restrictions, and mandatory quarantines in place for some countries.
“Due to the increased cases of Covid-19 over recent days in many parts of Europe as well as travel restrictions and several national quarantines in place for some countries, the ETTU Executive Board has made the decision to postpone the LIEBHERR 2020 European Table Tennis Championships scheduled to take place in Warsaw between 15th and 20th September,” the sport’s European governing body said in a statement on its website.
It added that the Polish Table Tennis Federation (PZTS) "understands and accepts the difficult decision.”
Ronald Kramer, head of the European Table Tennis Union, was quoted as saying that the “safety of players, coaches, officials, volunteers, staff and partners has been a priority for all organisations involved.”
Dariusz Szumacher, head of the Polish Table Tennis Federation, said Warsaw was looking forward “to welcoming everyone on another date."
A future date for the European championships "will be confirmed at a later stage,” according to the ettu.org website.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, ettu.org