The decision was made jointly with the Local Organising Committee in response to feedback from participating countries and teams.

The 2020 IWAS World Games will now take place from 2-9 April in the same location, alongside the 2020 IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Asian Championships and Under 17 and Under 23 World Championships, which were also due to be part of the Games.

IWAS President Rudi Van Den Abbeele said:“We are of course very disappointed to have to postpone our flagship event.

“However, we must be led by the countries who have legitimate concerns about the health of their athletes.

“It would not be sensible to keep pushing ahead when we cannot offer athletes the chance to compete against a strong field of their peers. This is the essence of the World Games – it is an opportunity for many to experience a global sporting event for the first time. It is this formula which has helped produce great names in the past.

“We hope to have another, slightly delayed, successful edition in Nakhon Ratchasima in April.”

The 2020 IWAS World Games are set to feature 10 sports, all of which will still be recognised by the relevant International Federations. The wheelchair basketball 3×3 World Championships has been cancelled.