The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which features on the men's and women's UCI WorldTour, will also not take place in January.

The two events in Australia started the men's UCI WorldTour from 2017 to 2020 but were cancelled last year.

The Tour Down Under, which had been due to take place in South Australia from January 21 to 29 next year, will be replaced by a domestic Festival of Cycling and not return until 2023.

Hitaf Rasheed, the executive director of Events South Australia, explained the reasoning behind the cancellation.

"The Tour Down Under is a much-loved event on the world cycling and Australian sporting calendar and an important economic driver for South Australia, attracting 44,000 people, injecting 742 jobs and more than AUD 66 million (£35.3 million/$47.6 million/€41 million) into the economy when last held in 2020," Rasheed said.

"We have fully explored all avenues, but unfortunately, in the end, it was the border closures and quarantine requirements for more than 400 people that make up the international teams that proved to still be too difficult to overcome."

Australian cyclist Richie Porte won the men's Tour Down Under for the second time the last time it was held in 2020, while Ruth Winder triumphed in the women's race which featured as a 2.Pro event on the UCI ProTour.

Race directors Stuart O’Grady and Kimberley Conte are looking forward to the replacement Festival of Cycling.

"The Festival of Cycling is the perfect opportunity to not only showcase some of our best athletes, but to tap into Australia’s enduring and growing passion for recreational cycling in all its forms," they said.

"Supporting events and initiatives that make a positive contribution to the South Australian community is important to Santos and we’re proud to bring a COVID-safe cycling event to life in 2022.

"We’re looking forward to the community-focussed event returning to the streets of South Australia to bring people together and drive economic benefits for the state."

The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Victoria has followed the Tour Down Under on the men's UCI WorldTour since 2017 and featured on the women's WorldTour for the first time in 2020 as German Liane Lippert claimed victory.

Belgium's Dries Devenyns won the men's race in the same year.

However, this will not be staged in January 2022, although organisers left open the possibility of hosting an international event later in the year.

"We know this is disappointing for race organisers, our partners, communities along the Surf Coast and cycling fans from all over who love the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race," Visit Victoria chief executive Brendan McClements said.

"Visit Victoria is currently exploring opportunities to hold an international cycling event later in 2022."

Australia is due to host the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong in New South Wales from September 18 to 25 next year.

Numerous international sports competitions due to be hosted in the country have been cancelled since the start of the pandemic, while Australia's national team have withdrawn from events such as the Rugby League World Cup.

Strict border controls have been implemented, with all of its athletes and Para athletes returning from Tokyo 2020 this summer having to undergo 14 days' quarantine at Government-run hotels.

There are also doubts surrounding the Ashes series between Australia and England, with Australian prime minister Scott Morrison insisting there will be "no special deals" for the tourists' families.

The first Test is due to start in Brisbane on December 8.

Morrison has said Australia is likely to shift from its so-called "zero-COVID" approach to "living with Covid" when either 70 or 80 per cent of its population is fully vaccinated.

Australia has recorded just over 100,000 cases since the start of the pandemic and 1,256 deaths, with its latest wave that began in July its biggest to date.

Just over 54 per cent of its population aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated.