The 2021 Mediterranean Games have been postponed a year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the host country Algeria confirmed on Tuesday.

The Algerian Sports Ministry said in a statement that it decided to postpone the Mediterranean Games to 2022 coordination with the International Mediterranean Games Committee over concerns about the health of athletes.

The 19th edition of the games was supposed to take place in the western province of Oran from 25 June to 5 July 2021.

The COVID-19 virus, which emerged in Wuhan, China last December, has spread to at least 178 countries and regions around the globe.

The global tally of confirmed coronavirus cases climbed past 803,600 and over 39,000 people have died, while recoveries have neared 173,000, according to figures compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.