The 2020 ITTF Swedish International Open has been cancelled due to new restrictions implemented by the Public Health Agency of Sweden in light of growing numbers of COVID-19 cases across Sweden and the rest of Europe.

The event, scheduled to take place between 30 November – 5 December 2020 in Helsingborg, Sweden, had been designed to open the door for all professional table tennis athletes to return to international action after several months restricted to club or regional competitions.

Meanwhile, a selection of the sport’s biggest stars remain set to participate in the #RESTART series in China. This consists of three prestigious ITTF events taking place later this month: the Dishang 2020 ITTF Women’s World Cup (8 – 10 November), the Dishang 2020 ITTF Men’s World Cup (13 – 15 November) and the Bank of Communications 2020 ITTF Finals (19 – 22 November).

“We made a very brave attempt to resume the international table tennis action here in Sweden and the event had attracted a lot of interest with several entries. However, health must always come first and, with the recent increase of COVID-19 cases and new restrictions applied by the Public Health Agency of Sweden, unfortunately we simply cannot stage this event anymore. A lot of preparations had already been made, but we hope that we can deliver international events again soon in Sweden and welcome both our Swedish and foreign stars. We will bounce back.” – Petra Sörling, Chairman of the Swedish Table Tennis Association