NATALIE Powell will not be competing in this month's European Judo Championships in Prague.

The British team has withdrawn amid concerns about athlete safety during the pandemic.

Builth Wells star Powell, who became the first female British judoka to be ranked world number one in 2017, was part of the 18 member team that had been set to take part in the November 19-21 event.

“This decision was not taken lightly, however, the health and safety of our team members and their families is paramount,” British Judo said in a statement.

The Czech Republic has experienced a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and reported on average nearly 12,000 cases a day over the last week.