Rugby League: World Cup 2021 has been delayed until 2022
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Rugby League World Cup 2021: The tournament has been delayed until 2022
This year's Rugby League World Cup has been postponed until 2022 after two countries pulled out of the competition.
Current champions Australia and New Zealand pulled out of the tournament due to "player welfare and safety concerns" around the coronavirus pandemic.
The Rugby World Cup was supposed to begin in Newcastle on 23 October, and would include men's, women's and wheelchair events.
Jon Dutton, the chief executive of the tournament, said: "It would be irresponsible for us to carry on."
Elliott Whitehead of England is tackled during the semi-final Rugby League World Cup 9s match between New Zealand and England.
Dutton announced last week that there was a 50-50 chance that the World Cup would go ahead as scheduled.
There were concerns about the Australian teams travelling between countries and needing to quarantine when they return, as Australia's borders are still closed due to Covid-19.
It's thought that 400-500 players, staff and team officials would need to self-isolate after returning to Australia and wouldn't be back with their National Rugby League teams until two weeks before the 2022 season.
The announcement of the delay now comes with concerns that the tournament may clash with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 2022.
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