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Athletics Australia withdrew the relay team from the 2021 World Athletics Relays that are taking place in Poland in May due to COVID-19 concerns.

The decision to pull out of the May 1 to 2 event was made because of the COVID-19 situation going on in Poland.

Athletics Australia chief executive Darren Gocher said, “while the withdrawal is disappointing for athletes, a thorough process had been undertaken to consider all associated risks with travelling to Poland and the quarantine requirements on their return to Australia.”

Athletics Australia will put on a relay event in June so that its relay teams can seek the qualifying standards needed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

In March, several athletes who competed in the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland ended up testing positive for the virus.

SHOESTRINGS: Meanwhile, the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway have been postponed. They were scheduled for June 10th as one of the meets in the Diamond League. Future dates are being considered including sometime in July.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has approved stricter COVID-19 measures for the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Okinawa.

Under the measures, restaurants and businesses in densely populated areas will be required to close by 8:00 PM. The capacity of large events will be limited to 5,000 people.