Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games postponed

HANGZHOU, China, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games, originally scheduled to take place on October 9-15, has been postponed, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) and the Hangzhou Asian Para Games Organizing Committee (HAPGOC) announced on Tuesday.

The APC said in a statement that the emblem, slogan and year of the Games will remain unchanged and a further announcement on this postponement is expected in the near future.

"This was not an easy decision to make but we have taken it now to give a level of certainty to the IFs, NPCs and athletes who were planning to attend the Games," APC president Majid Rashed said.

"The Games preparations have been going very well and HAPGOC was ready to deliver an outstanding games.

"We will now work with the organizing committee on securing a new date that works for the para-sport calendar," he added.

The announcement follows the decision taken by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) to postpone the 19th Asian Games, which was scheduled to be held in Hangzhou from 10 to 25 September, 2022, after "carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games".