Judo: Britain withdraws from European Championships due to COVID-19

(Reuters) - Britain has withdrawn from this month's European Judo Championships in Prague due to concerns about athlete safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national governing body said.

Natalie Powell, who in 2017 became the first female British judoka to be ranked world number one, was part of the 18-member team that had been set to take part in the Nov. 19-21 event.

"This decision was not taken lightly, however, the health and safety of our team members and their families is paramount," British Judo said in a statement.

The Czech Republic has experienced a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and reported on average nearly 12,000 cases a day over the last week.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)