The World Triathlon Series Grand Final, due to take place in Edmonton in August, will not take place at all in 2020 ©Getty Images

World Triathlon has announced that its Grand Final, due to be held in Edmonton in Canada, will not take place in 2020.

The Grand Final, which was scheduled to be the finale of the World Triathlon Series (WTS), was due to take place from August 17 to 23.

World Triathlon announced the event would not take place in Canada this year following guidance issued by Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr Deena Hinshaw, yesterday.

"Mass gathering restrictions currently in place also apply to all summer events or festivals in Alberta," Hinshaw said.

"Those restrictions prohibit gatherings of more than 15 people and require people gathered in groups of fewer than 15 to maintain a distance of two metres from one another."

World Triathlon said it was "deeply disappointed" the event would not be able to take place as scheduled, but said it understood that the global coronavirus pandemic meant the event was "impossible to happen at this stage."

The governing body will now work alongside organisers of the Edmonton event to find new options for it to take place in the future, when restrictions allow.

The World Triathlon Series will not host its Grand Final in Edmonton in 2020, the venue where Jonathan Brownlee won the men's elite race last year ©Getty Images
The World Triathlon Series will not host its Grand Final in Edmonton in 2020, the venue where Jonathan Brownlee won the men's elite race last year ©Getty Images

Meanwhile, World Triathlon is working alongside Continental Confederations and the organisers of the WTS, to try and arrange some races for later in the year, when it is fair and safe to do so for all involved.

Currently all six rounds of the WTS that were due to precede the event in Edmonton have been postponed because of coronavirus.

World Triathlon's Executive Board met by videoconference yesterday to discuss the impact of the pandemic on the sport.

Among the business discussed at the meeting was the financial group presenting details of its latest actions.

This included World Triathlon applying for subsidies offered by the Swiss, Spanish and Canadian Governments, where the International Federation has its headquarters and offices.

Financial statements for 2019 were approved, and these will now be sent to the external auditors.

World Triathlon's Executive Board gave the green light to the inclusion of duathlon as an invitational sport in the next edition of The World Games, due to take place in Birmingham in the United States in 2022.

It also discussed the status of National Federations in relation to the planning of the next World Triathlon Congress, due to take place in Paris in November.