United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body for the sport, has indefinitely deferred crucial Olympic Qualifiers in wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The European Qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games, which were to be held from March 19 to 22 in Budapest, and the World “Last Chance” Qualifier in Sofia, Bulgaria, for April 30-May 3, have been postponed.

Even though no new dates are announced immediately, the European Qualifiers are expected to be reschedule for mid-May and the World “Last Chance” Qualifier may now take place in the beginning of June.

“We are closely monitoring the Governmental response to COVID-19 and will continue provide updates to our wrestlers, coaches, and fans with more information as it becomes available,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic.

“The process for determining our Olympic participants will happen on the field of play, but we need to remain patient and vigilant as the worldwide community battles this pandemic. The health and well-being of the athletes is an absolute priority.”

Before this, the Asian Olympic Qualifiers scheduled in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as well as the African and Oceania Olympic Qualifiers have also been postponed due to the menace of Coronavirus.