Originally scheduled for March 1 to 6 2021 at Vail Mountain Resort in Vail in Colorado, the competition is one of the largest on the snowboarding calendar each year.

Some of the top names in the sport competed in the halfpipe and slopestyle events in 2020 including Austria's Anna Gasser, Japan's Yuki Kadono and China's Cai Xuetong alongside numerous Americans.

Speaking of the cancellation, Burton chief executive John Lacy calling it "disappointing" but insisted it had to happen.

He said: "This was a difficult call to make since we’re so many months away from the next Burton U.S. Open, and we’re not sure what will be happening with the pandemic nine months from now.

"After playing out multiple options for the 2021 event, we realised there is too much at stake due to the potential public health risk and the financial risk for Burton to invest millions in an event that could end up being cancelled.”

"This is disappointing for everyone: the riders, crowds, brand partners and crews who work the event are all what has made the Open the favourite event of the snowboarding community for almost 40 years. 

"It’s more like a snowboarding family reunion than anything else, and the impact of this decision is widespread throughout the snowboard community. 

"But as disappointing as it is, protecting the long-term health of this community is what’s most important. 

"If we need to miss a year of the Open to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we’ll get through it.”

The US is the worst hit country by coronavirus, and it has seen more than 1.74 million confirmed cases to date, which has resulted in the deaths of over 101,000 people.