The meeting was due to be held in London, in the United Kingdom on May 2, but in a letter sent to World Sailing's national member authorities, council members and committee chairs, World Sailing President Kim Andersen said it was not viable to go ahead with the meeting because of global restrictions on travel and gatherings.

"Whilst the proposed location of the EGM in London is not currently subject to travel restrictions for most countries, the World Sailing Board is very mindful of the extraordinary circumstances facing many countries from the spread of coronavirus and the pandemic declared by the World Health Organisation," Andersen wrote in a letter sent on March 13.

"It is, in the Board’s view, inevitable now that further restrictions on travel and people associating in meetings globally will be implemented. Therefore, it is not viable for the meeting to go ahead in May or in the foreseeable future and the Board will not call an Extraordinary General Meeting as previously indicated."

In the letter, Andersen also said that World Sailing "continued to monitor the impact of coronavirus on our sport and organisation" following the recent cancellation of the Hempel World Cup Series in Genoa in Italy, as well as the postponement of the 470 World Championship, which was due to be held in Spain.

Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, World Sailing is continuing with preparations for its forthcoming Board and council elections as well as appointments to committees and commissions.

World Sailing's 2020 annual conference is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi between October 24 and November 1, with a series of sub-committee, committee and council meetings being held in the build-up to the General Assembly on November 1.