Organisers RodelClub Ilmenau (RCI) said the event could not go ahead as planned at the Wolfram Fiedler track due to continued restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Competition was due to take place on September 4 and 5, with the German event described as a "proven tradition" over the last 27 years.

Bernd Roßmann, the vice-chairman of the RCI, explained the cancellation.

"The implementation of the necessary hygiene regulations exceeds the possibilities and personnel resources of the club," he said. 

"The necessary personnel strength was no longer achieved due to the cancellation of several employees." 

Fiedler, who the track is named after, was an East German luger whose hometown was Ilmenau.

He won World Championship gold in 1975 and European titles in 1972 and 1976, as well as a pair of Olympic bronze medals in singles and doubles at the Sapporo 1972 Games.

In 1988, Fiedler tragically died of cancer aged just 36, with his home track named after him the following year.