The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Blind Football has announced that the first Women’s World Championships in Enugu, Nigeria, in November will be postponed until 2021.

The decision was taken alongside Local Organising Committee, the Bina Foundation.

The postponement is a result of ongoing uncertainty around the safety of participants and quality of competition because of COVID-19. The competition was set to take place from 19-29 November.

Ulrich Pfisterer, Chair of the IBSA Blind Football Committee, said: “We are naturally very disappointed to have to wait for this historic Championships to take place, but like many decisions we have had to make this year it is the right thing to do.

“It does not mean that we are slowing down our efforts to develop the women’s game. In fact we will be making another exciting announcement shortly which shows that our focus remains firmly on this area.

“Our thanks go to the Bina Foundation for the work that they have already done, and will continue to do, over the coming months to ensure that the women’s Worlds in 2021 will be a landmark event.”

The new dates for the first IBSA Blind Football Women’s World Championships will be announced shortly.

When planning the calendars for all sports, IBSA is placing two main principles at the heart of its approach.

These are: safety of all participants – No one involved in an IBSA-recognised competition or event should be put at risk by their attendance; and quality of competition – events can only return when the standard of competition can be high. This takes into account a number of factors such as travel restrictions, quarantine requirements in host countries and the local public health picture.