The ruling body of the FIS had been due to meet today to discuss a request from Cortina 2021 to hold the event in 2022 because of the coronavirus crisis.

A spokesperson for the FIS told insidethegames the meeting would instead be held tomorrow.

The Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) and the Organising Committee in May asked the FIS to move its flagship event back by a year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cortina d'Ampezzo had been scheduled to host the 2019-2020 season's FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in March before the event was cancelled due to the global health situation.

Organisers say the cancellation left them without an opportunity to adequately test the resort's infrastructure and operational plans, while there were also serious financial consequences.

FISI said delaying the World Championships would not only allow more time for contingency planning, but also reduce the risk of a last-minute cancellation, which it admitted could be crippling for the organisation.

The World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, which will co-host the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games with Milan, are scheduled to be staged from February 9 to 21 in 2021.

A postponement to March 2022 would see the event take place less than a month after the conclusion of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Italy has been one of the countries hit hardest by COVID-19, recording in excess of 34,000 deaths and 240,000 cases.

The north of the country, where Cortina d'Ampezzo is located, has particularly suffered.

Italy has not hosted the Alpine Ski World Championships since 2005, when Bormio was the venue.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, the sole bidder for the 2021 World Championships, has previously hosted the event in 1932 and 1956, with the Winter Olympics doubling up as Alpine skiing's World Championships in 1956.