OREANDA-NEWS. The Chinese team has withdrawn from the World Weightlifting Championships to be held in Tashkent due to difficulties with travel arrangements in a pandemic environment. This is reported by Insidethegames citing the China Weightlifting Association.

The tournament will run December 7-17. Eight weightlifters were to represent China, including world record holder in the snatch Li Daing, competing in the 81kg weight category.

Chinese weightlifters have previously had to serve two lengthy quarantines after returning from the Asian Championships in May and the Olympic Games in August.

China has some of the strictest border control and quarantine conditions in place. All Chinese nationals returning from abroad must undergo a 14-day quarantine, which can be extended up to 28 days by local authorities.

The World Weightlifting Championships will be held in Tashkent December 7-17. China had eight athletes, including world record holder Li Daing of the 81kg snatch.

At the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese weightlifters won seven gold and one silver medal, topping the standings.

Chinese authorities earlier said they plan to hold the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics on time despite the spread of the coronavirus. The 2022 Winter Olympics are to be held from 4 to 20 February in Beijing.