The 2021 Winter Universiade has been cancelled due to rising concerns about the new coronavirus variant Omicron. 

The event was set to take place in Lucerne, Switzerland, from December 11 to 21, drawing some 16-hundred athletes from 50 countries.

The Executive Committee of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the organizer of the event, announced the cancellation on Monday with less than two weeks left until the games. 

The FISU said in a statement that it has no other choice but to cancel the event due to travel restrictions and the pandemic.  

About 80 South Korean athletes planned to compete in the biathlon, skiing, speed skating, ice hockey and curling.