<p>The artistic swimming Olympic qualification event due to be held in Tokyo in March has been postponed until May because of novel coronavirus restrictions in Japan, organisers said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Tokyo 2020 organisers and swimming's world governing body FINA said the qualifier, which also doubles as a test event for this summer's Tokyo Games, would take place from May 1-4 instead.</p>.<p>"The decision to postpone was taken for a number of reasons including assisting the ongoing efforts in Japan to come out of the current situation as soon as possible," they said in a joint statement.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/ioc-tokyo-olympics-release-playbook-to-beat-covid-19-943857.html" target="_blank">IOC, Tokyo Olympics release 'playbook' to beat Covid-19</a></strong></p>.<p>"Further reasons were ensuring the fairest possible conditions for athletes... as some necessary preparations may not have been possible given the latest COVID-19 situation in, and for, participating nations as well as some of the entry restrictions currently imposed in Japan."</p>.<p>With much of Japan under a state of emergency battling a third wave of Covid-19 infections, the country has effectively shut its borders to foreign non-residents.</p>.<p>Initial restrictions allowed foreign athletes to come to Tokyo for Olympic test events and training but that was changed earlier this month.</p>.<p>The postponement of the qualifying event comes amid dwindling public support for the 2020 Games, which have already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic.</p>
<p>The artistic swimming Olympic qualification event due to be held in Tokyo in March has been postponed until May because of novel coronavirus restrictions in Japan, organisers said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Tokyo 2020 organisers and swimming's world governing body FINA said the qualifier, which also doubles as a test event for this summer's Tokyo Games, would take place from May 1-4 instead.</p>.<p>"The decision to postpone was taken for a number of reasons including assisting the ongoing efforts in Japan to come out of the current situation as soon as possible," they said in a joint statement.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/ioc-tokyo-olympics-release-playbook-to-beat-covid-19-943857.html" target="_blank">IOC, Tokyo Olympics release 'playbook' to beat Covid-19</a></strong></p>.<p>"Further reasons were ensuring the fairest possible conditions for athletes... as some necessary preparations may not have been possible given the latest COVID-19 situation in, and for, participating nations as well as some of the entry restrictions currently imposed in Japan."</p>.<p>With much of Japan under a state of emergency battling a third wave of Covid-19 infections, the country has effectively shut its borders to foreign non-residents.</p>.<p>Initial restrictions allowed foreign athletes to come to Tokyo for Olympic test events and training but that was changed earlier this month.</p>.<p>The postponement of the qualifying event comes amid dwindling public support for the 2020 Games, which have already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic.</p>