Geneva, May 20 (IANS): FIVB president Ary S. Graca has declared that the organisation made the right decision to cancel the Volleyball Nations League due to the COVID-19 pandemic during his latest video message to the global volleyball family.

The VNL 2020 was slated to begin on May 19 for the women's competition and May 22 for the men's event.

However, the annual tournaments have been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on host cities being able to deliver safe, accessible and high-quality competitions.

In his message, Graca stressed the importance of FIVB's steadfast decision to cancel the VNL 2020 to put the players first and protect the health and wellbeing of the global volleyball community, reports Xinhua news agency.

In addition, he reflected on the considerable impact that the VNL has already made in the past two years, and discussed the bright future that this innovative and prestigious event has to look forward to.

According to the FIVB, the video is part of a series of messages from the FIVB President to all members of the volleyball family. It follows the release of the "Message of Hope and Understanding" earlier this month.