New dates for the Asian Games in Hangzhou have yet to be announced

The Asian Games in China have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, says the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

The event was scheduled to take place between 10 and 25 September in Hangzhou.

A statement from the OCA said that "new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be agreed ... in the near future".

The Asian Youth Games, which were scheduled to take place in Shantou, China in December, have been cancelled.

Hangzhou is about 175km from Shanghai where restrictions are in place as authorities try to curb Covid-19 cases, which began spiking again in March.

"HAGOC (Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee) has been very well prepared to deliver the Games on time despite global challenges," said the OCA.

"However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games."

China held the Winter Olympics in February and the Paralympics in March under strict coronavirus restrictions in Beijing.

-- Courtesy of BBC News