Badminton’s showpiece Thomas and Uber Cups were postponed Tuesday after a string of countries withdrew over coronavirus fears, officials said, in a major blow to the sport’s restart.

The men’s and women’s world team championships had been set to take place in Denmark next month, and would have been the first international tournaments since the pandemic halted badminton in March.

But the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said it was not in a position “to deliver the level of competition reasonably expected” after the pull-outs, and the event was being delayed until an as yet undecided date