British Gymnastics made the announcement soon after the European Gymnastics Executive Committee decided to exclude Olympic qualification from their upcoming events as a result of the pandemic. 

With rising cases of COVID-19 in both Britain and around Europe, resulting in increased travel restrictions, British Gymnastics said it "must prioritise athlete and support staff health". 

"It is of course always disappointing to withdraw from such a prestigious competition, one that many of our junior and senior gymnasts have looked forward too," said British Gymnastics performance director James Thomas.

"However from consulting with our medical and wider support team it has become clear that the consensus in-light of the continued concerns around COVID-19 is that to best protect the health and well-being of all involved and their families, we should withdraw from the Championships. 

"We also acknowledge that amongst the gymnasts there has been a mixed appetite to compete and travel given the shared concerns around COVID-19."

The European Artistic Gymnastics Championships are scheduled to take place in the Azerbaijani capital, with the men's competition set to run from December 9 to 13, followed by the women's from December 17 to 20. 

A decision on whether the event will definitely take place is due to be made on Monday (October 5).

If it does go ahead, it will not offer athletes the chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, postponed to July 23 to August 8 due to the global health crisis. 

The situation will be the same for the European Championships in rhythmic gymnastics, scheduled from November 26 to 29 in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, which Russia has withdrawn, it claims, over COVID-19 concerns.   

Britain earned four medals at the 2019 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in the Polish city of Szczecin, including two gold.

Max Whitlock triumphed in the men's pommel horse and Alice Kinsella topped the podium in the balance beam.