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Coronavirus: FINA postpones Olympic water sports qualifying events

FINA had previously postponed several events due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

World aquatics and swimming organisation FINA has postponed several events, including Olympic qualifiers, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The events postponed include the men's water polo qualification competition, the Diving World Series and the Water Polo World League.

Several artistic swimming events have been postponed including events due to take place in Egypt, Hungary and Kazan while events in Greece and China have been cancelled.

The organisation had already postponed the women's water polo qualifications that were due to happen in Trieste, Italy on March 8-15.

FINA said in a statement it was monitoring a number of other events and will make a decision in due course.

"FINA's overriding concern at this challenging time is to proactively safeguard the health of all event participants, and also to safeguard public health in general," it said.

"In addition to the outbreak itself, government restrictions and guidance on events and travel as well as recommendations of the World Health Organisation and the International Olympic Committee have been considered carefully by FINA's COVID-2019 Taskforce.

"FINA has also been in discussion with the host federations and committees involved, to which FINA remains deeply grateful for their efforts to further Aquatics."

The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted several other qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 and sparked worries the Games could be delayed or cancelled outright. The Summer Olympics are scheduled from July 24 to Aug. 9.

However, the International Olympic Committee and local organisers have repeated continually that the Olympics will open as scheduled.