Originally intended to be staged by Turkmenistan, the contest will now be held in conjunction with the World Youth and Junior Sambo Championships, which were already set for Novi Sad.

It is not possible to stage the World Sambo Championships in Turkmen capital Ashgabat because of the coronavirus crisis, the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) said.

The new event will run from November 5 to 8.

FIAS President Vasily Shestakov thanked the Serbian Sambo Federation for stepping in to salvage the sport's showpiece event.

"FIAS has always supported holding the maximum number of sambo competitions in the international arena, but the pandemic has made adjustments to our schedule," Shestakov said.

"I am sincerely grateful to the Sambo Federation of Serbia for their initiative, desire and willingness to take on the organization of two major tournaments in the FIAS calendar."

He added that the Serbian body "has a rich experience in holding international competitions, so I am confident in the success of this event".

Restrictions on movement and social-distancing policies will be in place at the event, while FIAS coronavirus-prevention guidelines should also be followed.

Last year's World Sambo Championships were held in Cheongju in South Korea.

Sambo, combat sambo and women's sambo are all contested at the event.

Novi Sad, then part of Yugoslavia, hosted the World Sambo Championships in 1994.

Turkmenistan has never before hosted the event.

Officially there are no coronavirus cases in Turkmenistan.