TEHRAN - The 2022 Asian Para Games that were scheduled to take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) and the Games' organizing committee (HAPGOC) said on Tuesday.

A task-force formed by the two committees and the Chinese Paralympic Committee will work on rescheduling the Games -- originally set for Oct. 9-15 -- for 2023.

The announcement follows the postponement of the Asian Games to 2023 earlier this month due to the pandemic. The Games were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou in September.

“The Games preparations have been going very well and HAPGOC was ready to deliver outstanding games. This was not an easy decision to make,” APC President Majid Rashed.

“We will now work with the organizing committee on securing a new date that works for the para-sport calendar.”

Shanghai, China's most populous city of 25 million people, has been under a lockdown that is now in its seventh week but is reopening in stages with plans to lift restrictions next month.

The World University Games, scheduled for next month in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, was also postponed to next year.