Athletics - Diamond League meets in China moved, cancelled due to COVID-19

A Diamond League athletics meet to be held this year in China has been moved to Poland and another cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreaks in the country, organisers said, after the high-profile Asian Games in Hangzhou were postponed.

The meets in Shanghai on July 30 and Shenzhen on Aug. 6 were changed because of "travel restrictions and strict quarantine requirements currently in place for entry into China", the organisers said in a statement on Friday.

The Shenzhen event will be moved to Chorzow, Poland, it said, while there will be no replacement for the Shanghai meeting.

On Friday, the World University Games, slated for next month in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, were also postponed, while the Asian Youth Games in Shantou were cancelled, with Tashkent to host the next edition in 2025.

"The Diamond League season calendar has been restructured to ensure fair and transparent competition as two meetings in China are now unable to go ahead as scheduled," organisers said in a statement.

"The Diamond League looks forward to hosting events in China again from 2023 onwards."

The new season kicks off in Doha on May 13 and concludes in Zurich on Sept. 7 and 8.