Lausanne [Switzerland], Mar 21 : In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the Federation International De Volleyball (FIVB) has postponed four major tournaments that were scheduled to be played in May.
The tournaments affected after this decision are a 1-star event scheduled from May 6 to May 9, 4-star event scheduled from May 6 to May 10, 3-star event scheduled from May 6 to May 10 and 4-star event scheduled from May 20 to May 24.
"Given the current global travel limitations, the FIVB and the event orgsers have mutually agreed that the following event postponements, and one cancellation, are in the best interests of the participants' health, and are also the fairest solution for the players," the FIVB said in an official statement.
The coronavirus outbreak has taken a huge toll on sports all around the globe. The FIVB also canceled a 4-star event scheduled from May 27 to May 31 in Warsaw, Poland.
The FIVB is reassessing all events scheduled for the month of June. The FIVB said that further changes to the beach volleyball calendar are likely, and is in contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about revising the beach volleyball qualification system for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Earlier on Wednesday, four-time Olympic rowing champion Matthew Pinsent suggested that the Tokyo Olympics should be called off due to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Tuesday, the IOC had said that they are 'fully committed' to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic and added that 'there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage' despite coronavirus outbreak.
( With inputs from ANI )