The Pokemon Company has canceled this year's Pokemon World Championships. In a statement on the official Pokemon website, the company explained that the competition will be moved back to 2022 in accordance with public health guidance, and all sanctioned Play Pokemon events will remain suspended this year:

　　"After careful review and pursuant to guidance set forth by local, regional, and national health authorities, as well as the World Health Organization, Public Health England, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we have made the difficult decision to move out the next Pokemon World Championships to 2022. This event is planned to take place in London.

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　　"With the continued suspension of the Play! Pokemon event series, all sanctioned Play! Pokemon events including League Challenge, League Cup, Premier Challenge, and Midseason Showdown will remain suspended until further notice. We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of all our competitors at an expanded 2022 Pokemon World Championships in London."

　　This marks the second year in a row that the Pokemon World Championships have been postponed; the 2020 World Championships were similarly canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pokemon Company says that all invitations to the 2020 competition will still be honored in 2022, although it has not yet announced any further details on next year's event.

　　The Pokemon World Championships feature dedicated competitions for the Pokemon Trading Card Game, mainline video game series, and Pokken Tournament DX. The 2020 event was slated to be the first to feature Pokemon Sword and Shield, the series' latest mainline installments.

　　While the Pokemon World Championships may have been canceled, this year is still shaping up to be a notable one for the series. This month marks Pokemon's 25th anniversary, and The Pokemon Company is celebrating with new merchandise lines, announcements, and more activities, including a collaboration with Katy Perry and a virtual concert featuring Post Malone. A Pokemon Happy Meals promotion is also underway at McDonald's, but scalpers are ruining it.