The three tournaments - headlined by the World Figure Skating Championships - had already been postponed indefinitely, but the ISU has concluded that it is not feasible to rearrange the events for later in the year.

An online meeting of the ISU Council was held yesterday (April 16) and it came to the decision. 

Montreal in Canada had been due to stage the World Figure Skating Championships from March 16 to 22.

The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, originally slated for South Korean capital Seoul from March 13 to 15, have also been cancelled.

Lake Placid in the United States was due to host the World Synchronised Skating Championships, but that event - intended to run from April 3 to 5 - has suffered the same fate.

In a statement confirming the cancellations, the ISU said they were down to "escalating negative COVID-19 developments" and Government restrictions on both travel and public gatherings.

The ISU Council is set to hold another online meeting on April 28 to further discuss the calendar, in particular the planning of the 2020-2021 season.

"The objective is to work out and communicate to all stakeholders options suitable for different scenarios in order to limit the uncertainty to the strict minimum," the global governing body said.

There have been almost 150,000 COVID-19 deaths reported globally and the pandemic has caused a near-total shutdown of the sporting calendar, with mass gatherings and overseas travel being strictly regulated in most countries.