Lausanne, Feb 1 (IANS): The 19th edition of the World Swimming Championships, scheduled to be held in Fukuoka, Japan from May 13-29, 2022 have been postponed to July 14-30 next year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) confirmed on Tuesday.

Subsequently, the 20th FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar, originally scheduled for November 2023, will be held in January 2024.

"Given the current pandemic situation and the measures currently in place in Japan, FINA and key stakeholders of the Fukuoka 2022 Organising Committee have agreed to reschedule the 19th FINA World Championships to 14-30 July 2023. The 20th FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar, will now take place in January 2024," FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said in a statement.

"These decisions have been taken in the best interests of everyone involved," he added.

FINA said that it will continue to prioritise the welfare of competition participants and take decisions as early as possible given the circumstances, in order to provide a measure of certainty to aquatics athletes and those who support them.

The global governing body also mentioned that it is in constant dialogue with athletes and coaches on the international competition calendar due to the potential health impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

"FINA will soon announce an updated 2022 international aquatics calendar that will offer athletes additional opportunities to compete at the highest level. More information on the 20th FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar will follow as soon as possible," it added.