The Canoe Polo European Championships, scheduled to be held in Spain in September, have been cancelled after the country pulled out of hosting ©Getty Images

The Canoe Polo European Championships have been cancelled after the impact of the coronavirus pandemic led to Spain withdrawing as hosts of the event.

Burriana in Castellon was scheduled to host the event from September 6 to 12, however the Royal Spanish Canoe Federation announced it would no longer be able to take on hosting duties.

The Royal Spanish Canoe Federation cited the "difficult and uncertain times" as one of the reasons for the cancellation of the event, and also referenced the "close proximity" of the rearranged Canoe Polo World Championships, now due to take place in Rome, Italy, from October 5 to 10.

Britain (centre) are the defending women's champions in the European Canoe Polo Championships after their win in Portugal in 2019 ©Getty Images
Britain (centre) are the defending women's champions in the European Canoe Polo Championships after their win in Portugal in 2019 ©Getty Images

In its cancellation letter, organisers wrote: "The canoeing federation of the Valencian community is sorry to make such a decision, because after organising the European Clubs Championships in 2016, we were very excited about this Championships.

"We appreciate the trust that you put in us, but no one could foresee that the world was going to go through the moments we are going through and that it was going to impact everyone's life in this way."

Britain and Germany are the defending champions in the women's and men's events respectively after winning the gold medals at the previous Championships, which were held in Coimbra, Portugal in September 2019.