New dates have been announced for the Seoul General Assembly ©Getty Images

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) has confirmed that Seoul will host its General Assembly on October 26 and 27 next year after this year's edition was cancelled.

It was announced last month that the key meeting, which gathers all of the world's National Olympic Committees (NOCs), could not take place in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally planned for November 25 and 26 in the South Korean capital, the General Assembly is now scheduled for 11 months later.

It is due to be hosted at the COEX Convention Centre with the ANOC Awards, the traditional accompaniment of the Assembly, penciled in for October 26.

The visiting NOCs will be hosted by the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) in the 1988 Summer Games city.

"We are very grateful to the KSOC for their hard work and the speed with which they have been able to find new dates for next year's ANOC General Assembly," said ANOC secretary general Gunilla Lindberg. 

"We wanted to make sure we found dates that were as convenient as possible for the NOCs and that did not clash with other major sports events. 

"With no ANOC General Assembly this year, next year's meeting will be extra special as it will allow the world's NOCs to reunite once again and promote and celebrate the Olympic Movement."

The General Assembly is now scheduled for after the re-arranged Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were pushed back to July and August of 2021 as a result of the global health crisis.

Key figures such as International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will be expected to address the Assembly, while the organisers of future Games will be given the chance to update on their progress.

This will include officials from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which are due to begin on February 4 of that year so will be a little more than three months away.

At last year's ANOC General Assembly in Doha, it was confirmed that Fiji's Robin Mitchell will remain as Acting President until a Swiss court case against Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah is resolved.

Seoul will now host the General Assembly in October of next year ©Getty Images
Seoul will now host the General Assembly in October of next year ©Getty Images

Last month, it was also announced that the second edition of the ANOC World Beach Games next year has been postponed until 2023 because of coronavirus.

"It is a great pleasure to host the ANOC General Assembly in 2021," said KSOC President Lee Kee-heung.

"Although COVID-19 has greatly impacted the international sports community, KSOC and ANOC will make every effort to ensure a safe and successful General Assembly. 

"We are looking forward to welcoming the NOCs from around the world to Korea."

Delegates in Seoul will stay at the COEX Intercontinental Hotel and Grand Intercontinental Hotel, which are both close to the General Assembly venue.

Restrictions on international travel was cited as one of the main reasons for this year's General Assembly being cancelled.

Alternative ways for NOCs to express ideas and opinions are being assessed, ANOC said last month, while reports and updates that would have been heard this year will be provided.

As normal, ANOC will host meetings of its Executive Council and Commissions in the days leading up to the 2021 General Assembly in Seoul.

Earlier this month, the umbrella body confirmed funding of $11.65 million (£9.1 million/€10.3 million) to assist NOCs battling the COVID-19 crisis.

The funding will be distributed by the five Continental Associations and all 206 NOCs are in line to benefit.

It was also confirmed that money which had been allocated to the General Assembly in Seoul this year would be put towards the NOC fund.

The budget for the 2020 ANOC General Assembly was confirmed to be $5.2 million (£4.2 million/€4.7 million) at last year's event in Qatar.