HONG KONG, March 13 — The world table tennis body suspended "all activities” until the end of April on Friday, joining a long list of sporting casualties of the new coronavirus outbreak.

The International Table Tennis Federation suspension, from Monday, affects a number of tournaments around the world, as well as training and promotional activities.

"Following the declaration by the World Health Organisation of Covid-19 as a pandemic and the increased number of international travel restrictions, the ITTF has decided to suspend all activities provisionally, with the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials and fans as the top priority,” a statement said.

Sports from football to basketball and badminton have been hit by the outbreak, with a swathe of competitions put on hold less than five months before the Tokyo Olympics. — AFP