Singapore, Jul 20 (IANS): The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Committee has decided to extend the suspension of all ITTF events until the end of August due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it announced on Monday.

The ITTF World Tour Czech Open, originally scheduled between August 25-30, 2020 in Olomouc, has been cancelled after the ITTF and Czech Table Tennis Association thought it impossible to stage the event amid the ongoing travel restrictions and potential risks to health and safety of participants, reports Xinhua news agency.

The world table tennis governing body also said that the World Tour Hong Kong Open, originally scheduled between May 5-10, 2020, will not be going ahead.

The event had been provisionally postponed with the ITTF and Hong Kong Table Tennis Association working together to find new suitable dates towards the end of the year, but the ongoing travel restrictions due to the pandemic made it impossible to reschedule the event in 2020.

The ITTF also continues to explore the possibility of holding alternative events for the final months of 2020, in case the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow the staging of full open international events as planned.