The World Junior Figure Skating Championships will no longer take place in Sofia ©Getty Images

Sofia will no longer stage the World Junior Figure Skating Championships from March 7 to 13, with COVID-19 blamed for the move.

The International Skating Union (ISU) says that the reallocation of the event remains under evaluation, and that it will make a decision as soon as possible.

The event was postponed earlier this month before the organisers decided to move it altogether.

The decision was made despite new daily cases of COVID-19 in Bulgaria falling from 12,399 on January 25 to 724 yesterday.

Russia's invasion on Ukraine has made relocating the event on short notice extremely complex, the ISU added.

Canada is set to hold two ISU World Championships - the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal from March 18 to 20 and the World Synchronised Skating Championships in Hamilton from April 7 to 9.

The ISU is set to financially support delegations subjected to a 14-day quarantine period before the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships Montreal ©Getty Images
The ISU is set to financially support delegations subjected to a 14-day quarantine period before the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships Montreal ©Getty Images

Since the beginning of 2022 the Canadian Government has imposed a requirement that only foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may enter the country without having to undergo a 14-day quarantine period.

Despite efforts from Speed Skating Canada and Skate Canada, the restrictions will stay in place for athletes, with no exemption programme on offer for sporting events.

As a result, the ISU has pledged to financially support teams that have members who do not fulfil the Canadian requirements and will have to observe a quarantine period.

Russian and Chinese vaccines are not recognised by Canada, so athletes from these countries are set to have to self-isolate for 14 days if they are to compete.

The ISU emphasised that "this is an exceptional decision based on the truly extraordinary and exceptional circumstances resulting from both the pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis situation."

The invasion, with Belarusian support, has been heavily condemned within the sporting community.

The Norwegian Skating Federation, which is set to host the World Speed Skating Championships next month, has declared that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be banned from the event.

There is no indication from the ISU that this will happen, although the Russian Skating Union has pulled out, citing the closure of Poland's airspace and cancellation of flights.