Munich, Mar 27 (IANS): The European Shotgun Championship and European Rifle/Pistol Qualification Championship for the 2020 Olympics have been cancelled, the International Shooting Sport Federation said on Friday.

"Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the European Shotgun Championship, which should have taken place in Chateauroux, France from 6th till 20th of May, and the European Rifle/Pistol Qualification Championship for the 2020 Olympic Games, which should have been held in Plzen, Czech Republic from 18th till 25th of May, have now been cancelled by the respective Organising Committees," said the ISSF in its statement.

The ISSF had earlier in the month said that it is trying to maintain its qualification system for the Tokyo Olympics. The New Delhi World Cup was postponed after a number of countries decided to pull out of the tournament due to the virus.

On Tuesday however, the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Olympics Organising Committee said in a joint statement that the Games itself had been postponed to a yet to be determined date in 2021. This gave international federations the leeway to postpone their own qualification events and halt all competitions as the world grapples with the pandemic that has claimed close to 25,000 lives around the world.