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Image: The Pokémon Company

The Pokémon Company has announced that the next Pokémon World Championships event will now be held in 2022.

The event, which was been delayed since 2020, will still take place in London, UK as planned. The Pokémon Company says it has made the "difficult decision" to move the event to 2022 following "careful review and pursuant to guidance set forth by local, regional, and national health authorities."

"The safety and well-being of our competitors, organizers, employees, local communities, and partners continues to be our top priority and is the primary consideration with every decision we make," the company says. "With the continued suspension of the Play! Pokémon event series, all sanctioned Play! Pokémon events including League Challenge, League Cup, Premier Challenge, and Midseason Showdown will remain suspended until further notice."

All invitations to the 2020 World Championships will remain valid for the 2022 event. The Championships will feature competitive events for the Trading Card Game, video game series, and Pokkén Tournament DX.

[source pokemon.com, via twitter.com]