The World badminton championships were called off on Wednesday because of "continued uncertainty" surrounding the SARS virus.

The International Badminton Federation postponed the event after a meeting of its executive board. The Worlds were scheduled to be held on May 12-18 in Birmingham.

Asian players make up the power base of the Olympic sport. The championships were to feature nearly 350 players from 48 countries.

"It is extremely regrettable that the World Championships has had to be called off at this late stage," IBF chief executive Neil Cameron said.

"The Executive Board clearly felt that this is the proper decision to take, because they were concerned that there would still be a risk to everyone involved, and because of their and others' continued fears regarding SARS."