The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made the decision at a meeting in London today, saying the home ministry has failed to provide “the necessary guarantees that Israeli para swimmers could participate, free from discrimination, and safely in the championships”.

The IPC said this includes full compliance with the committee’s protocols related to anthems and flags and, where required, the provision of relevant visas.

In a statement, IPC president Andrew Parsons said the paralympic movement has “and always will be, motivated by a desire to drive inclusion, not exclusion”.

“When a host country excludes athletes from a particular nation, for political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative but to look for a new championships host.”

Israel had called on the IPC to change the venue if it could not persuade Malaysia to lift the ban before the event was to be held from July 29 to Aug 4.

Parsons said that when the IPC signed the contract with the Paralympic Council of Malaysia in September 2017 to host the championships, “we had assurances that all eligible athletes and countries would be allowed to participate in the event with their safety assured”.

“Since then, there has been a change of political leadership and the new Malaysian government has different ideas.

“Politics and sport are never a good mix and we are disappointed that Israeli athletes would not have been allowed to compete in Malaysia,” he said.

He said the IPC was now looking for a new host for the world championships, which acts as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

About 600 swimmers from 60 nations had been expected to take part in the competition, with more than 160 world titles up for grabs.