THE 2021 Asian Youth Games will be postponed until December 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) said in an announcement Wednesday.

The 3rd Asian Youth Games was originally scheduled to be held in Shantou, South China’s Guangdong Province, from Nov. 20 to 28 in 2021.

The new schedule will be Dec. 20-28, 2022, according to the COC statement.

“The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the COC and the local organizing committee had an in-depth discussion and made the decision together, in order to protect the interests of every national/regional Olympic committee and ensure the safety and health of all athletes,” the statement said.

Shantou won the right to host the 3rd Asian Youth Games in March 2019.

The Asian Youth Games are among the top five multi-sport events led by the OCA for athletes aged between 14 and 17 in Asia.(Xinhua)