Sweden has pulled out of the Under-20 World Wrestling Championships ©Getty Images

The Swedish Wrestling Federation has withdrawn from competing at the Under-20 World Championships next month after it was moved from Poland to Jordan.

The event is due to take place in the Middle Eastern country's capital city of Amman from August 14 to 20 but will not feature any Swedish athletes.

"Yesterday, the Board held an extraordinary meeting on the issue and decided not to participate in the U20 World Championship in Amman, Jordan," read a statement from the National Federation.

"This decision is based on the current security situation for Swedes in the area.

"The selected squad will instead go to Romania and participate in a competition."

Sweden's withdrawal comes after desecrations of the Quran, with one at a demonstration led by Salwan Momika ©Getty Images
Sweden's withdrawal comes after desecrations of the Quran, with one at a demonstration led by Salwan Momika ©Getty Images

It comes after at least two public desecrations of the Quran in Sweden which has led the Governments of many Muslim countries to denounce Swedish authorities for allowing the acts.

The latest of which came last week after a demonstration in Stockholm saw protesters kick and damage the book which is the central religious text of Islam.

It was planned by 37-year-old Christian Iraqi refugee in Sweden Salwan Momika who also burned pages of a Quran on June 28.

It has sparked outrage and even seen the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad set on fire. 

The Foreign Ministries of Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and host nation Jordan have all condemned the desecration, with some calling on the Swedish Government to put a stop to it.

The desecrations of the Quran has not been banned by Swedish authorities, leading to outrage among Muslims ©Getty Images
The desecrations of the Quran has not been banned by Swedish authorities, leading to outrage among Muslims ©Getty Images

Jordan's Foreign Ministry described it as "a reckless act that fuels hatred, and a manifestation of Islamophobia that incites violence and insult to religions."

United World Wrestling (UWW) stripped Warsaw and Poland of the Under-20 World Championships hosting rights after the country refused to provide visas to Russian participants. 

"Adhering to UWW's regulations, which require the organiser to ensure equal participation for all athletes, free from any discrimination based on passport or other criteria, and considering the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), UWW was compelled to find an alternative host after Poland failed to ensure the same," read a UWW statement.

In April, UWW voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international events.

This was aligned with IOC recommendations that stated Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete, providing they did not actively support the war in Ukraine and were not affiliated to the military.