The table tennis World Cup will not take place in Dusseldorf as planned, but in China, said the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Friday.

The change is part of a "Restart" campaign created by the ITTF during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Ensuring a safe return to international table tennis has been our utmost priority ever since the pandemic broke out", said the ITTF president Thomas Weikert.

After several months without international tournaments the ITTF still hopes to hold three important competitions this year and host the men's World Cup, the women's World Cup and the season finals in China starting in November.

It's not yet known where in China the competitions will now take place which will see competitors enter a 'bubble' as part of anti-coronavirus measures. The men's World Cup is already scheduled for November 13 to 15.

The German table tennis federation now hopes to host the World Cup in 2023.