The event was planned to take place in Sofia from March 7 to 13.

However, the ISU said that it was alerted to "a potentially high number of COVID-19 infections among participants, and also local organisers."

The governing body is also anticipating that the Omicron variant is going to peak in Bulgaria around the scheduled time of the event.

However, new daily COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria have declined from 12,399 on January 25 to 3,625 yesterday.

"The ISU regrets that the staging of the event is not possible as planned and thanks the Bulgarian Skating Federation for their efforts and cooperation and the participating ISU members for their understanding," read an ISU statement.

Entry requirements could have further jeopardised the event, it is claimed.

Bulgaria requires either proof of being fully vaccinated against coronavirus, evidence of a prior infection or a negative test before admitting travellers from a red-zone country.

The 2021 edition of the World Junior Figure Skating Championships was cancelled, also because of the coronavirus crisis.

The ISU is considering staging the event in May and is consulting with the Bulgarian Skating Federation and its participating members on when best to move the competition to.

A decision is expected to be announced by the next online ISU Council meeting on February 24.

The competition is set to determine the entry quotas for each National Federation during the 2022-2023 ISU Junior Grand Prix series and at the 2023 Junior World Championships.

Bulgaria has hosted the event five times before, all in the capital, in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2018.