The International Chess Federation has decided to postpone the 44th Chess Olympiad.
Aside from the tournament, chess officials have also included the competition for players with disabilities and the FIDE Congress in the postponement.
The decision was known in a statement sent worldwide by the FIDE Council.
The Council said they are heeding the International Olympic Committee's decision to delay the staging of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is among the reasons for the postponement.
These events were to be held in Moscow and Khanty-Mansiysk during the summer of 2020, but organizers have rescheduled their events to the summer of 2021, also in Moscow.
“The FIDE will continue to work hard in order to support various chess activities, at the same time caring first and foremost about the health and well-being of the entire chess community,” said the Council in its statement.
The FIDE said it is deeply concerned about the growing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on people's lives.
