Swimming - Australia pulls out of Russia, China meets due to COVID-19

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia will not send teams to the junior world championships in Russia and the World University Games in China in August due to COVID-19, Swimming Australia (SA) said on Thursday.

"With the health and safety of the athletes and staff being paramount .... the decision not to attend the events was based on the effects of COVID-19 and the ongoing concerns regarding international travel," SA said in a statement.

SA said they would hold a national competition in August in lieu of the meets.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Richard Pullin)