China has withdrawn from
hosting the AFC 2023 Asian Cup which was scheduled to be held across 10 cities
next year, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Saturday. The
decision was taken due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in China.

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The event, which is played
every four years and features 24 national teams from across the continent, was
due to be held from June 16 to July 16 next year.

In a statement, released by
the AFC, the Asian football’s governing body said that it has been officially
informed by the Chinese Football Association that it would not be able to host
the tournament.

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“The AFC acknowledges
the exceptional circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the
relinquishment by (China) of its hosting rights,” the statement added.

The governing body said that
it “will continue to work closely with its commercial partners and stakeholders
to chart the course forward and remains grateful to them for their
understanding and support during this period.”

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“Further details about the
next steps related to the hosting of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be announced
in due course,” it added.

China won the bid for
hosting the continental football championship on June 5, 2019 at the AFC
Extraordinary Congress in French capital Paris.

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Earlier this month, the 2022
Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, were postponed due to the rapid
rise in COVID-19 cases. Also, the 2021 Asian Youth Games Shantou, which had
been planned to take place in the Chinese city of Shantou, were also cancelled.

China continues to implement
a zero-COVID policy and cities across the country have faced tight restrictions
as a result of a recent outbreak of the omicron variant.

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China is perhaps going
through the worst phase of the pandemic with Shanghai currently observing
strict lockdown. The host city of the Asian Games, Hangzhou, also announced
rapid testing for every citizen.