Germany's Margareta Kozuch won the 2019 Beach Volleyball World Tour Finals alongside Laura Ludwig ©Getty Images

This year's Beach Volleyball World Tour Finals have been moved from September to October, with COVID-19 regulations blamed for the calendar change.

Sardinia remains the host of the Beach Volleyball World Tour Finals.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the Italian Volleyball Federation, Government body Sport e Salute and Volleyball World - an FIVB vehicle run in partnership with CVC Capital Partners - made the decision to move the event to October 6 to 10 "to ensure a safe and secure event", according to a statement.

It had been due to run from September 8 to 12.

Sardinia has reported a steep rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the island's seven-day daily average of new cases now 332.

COVID-19 is more prevalent in Sardinia than any other Italian region ©Getty Images
COVID-19 is more prevalent in Sardinia than any other Italian region ©Getty Images

Per news agency Ansa, 11 per cent of intensive-care beds in Sardinia are occupied by COVID-19 patients - above the 10 per cent threshold which could see the region lose its low-risk designation as a white zone.

Per every 100,000 people, 142 in Sardinia have COVID-19 according o the National Agency for Regional Health Services - the highest rate in Italy.

The FIVB said it will be "continuously monitoring the situation".

There were no Beach Volleyball World Tour Finals held last year as the pandemic wiped out the calendar.

Rome hosted the 2019 edition of the event, won by German women's pair Margareta Kozuch and Laura Ludwig and Russian men Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Viacheslav Krasilnikov - the Tokyo 2020 silver medallists.