EPC President Ratko Kovačić and vice-president Terje Jentoft Roel said the decision came after analysis of the coronavirus pandemic.

"After hard discussions and analyses of the current COVID-19 situation and also with respect to majority recommendations, we inform you herewith, that the EPC Executive Board has adopted the final decision to postpone the EPYG 2021 to the year 2022 after the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games 2022," Kovačić and Roel said.

"At the moment, at a time which is a very difficult period for sport, caused by the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak and the confirmed IPC’s [International Paralympic Committee] decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, as well as many World and European Championships to the year 2021, we believe that it is the right decision."

The EPC has outlined June 26 to July 4 as dates for the event in 2022.

Athletes would arrive in the host city on June 27, with the following three days seeing classification and training take place.

Competitions would be scheduled to run from July 1 to 3.

Athletes would then depart on July 4.

The EPC issued a bid document for the Games earlier this year.

The fifth edition of the Games was held last year in Pajulahti in Finland.

Athletics, boccia, goalball, judo, swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball featured at the event.

Around 600 athletes, aged 13 to 23, participated.