Tournament Postponed

The tournament was scheduled to take place between March 22 and March 29, but the federation announced in a statement that it has temporarily postponed it until June 21-28.

The decision was made during an emergency meeting between representatives of the federation, the Korean Table Tennis Association, and the authorities of Busan, the country's second city located about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The new dates have been "provisionally reserved" and the situation will be reviewed in the coming weeks, the statement adds.

"Given the uncertainty and the changing situation in the Republic of Korea amid the COVID-19 outbreak across the country, the decision was made with the utmost priority of ensuring the health and safety of players, officials, and fans," the note adds.

About 3,000 players and representatives from federations of 87 countries were expected to participate in the tournament.

According to the latest data, a total of 977 people have been infected with the new coronavirus in South Korea, and ten have died.