体坛英语新闻：ITTF Executive Committee agrees to reschedule Busan World Team Championships

BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Committee has agreed to ask organizers to reschedule the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan, South Korea due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

In Thursday's meeting, the ITTF Executive Committee felt it would be unlikely that the majority of teams would be able to travel to South Korea in September 2020, thus agreeing to ask the Busan Organizing Committee to look for new dates to host the 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships in the early months of 2021.

As for its annual general meeting slated for September 28, the ITTF decided that if the World Championships are postponed, the meeting will be conducted online.

The ITTF will look at a reshuffling of its original 2021 calendar in the coming weeks once the dates of the World Championships are confirmed.

The ITTF hopes to stage full open international events in the last quarter of 2020 and is also investigating the possibility of holding alternative, regionally based and invitational events in earlier 2020.

The Executive Committee has ratified the qualification system adjustments for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. These qualification systems will be announced upon confirmation by the IOC and IPC.

Together with World Table Tennis (WTT), the Executive Committee will provide financial support for member associations, players and foundation projects affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Executive Committee will meet again on June 23 and continue to provide further updates on upcoming decisions.