The 2020 World Championships in Aigle and Martigny will not take place unless the COVID-19 regulations currently in place in Switzerland are significantly relaxed. In a statement released Friday, the organizing committee said that the cancellation of the championships "cannot be ruled out."

The World Championships are scheduled to run from September 20-27, but public gatherings of more than 1,000 people are prohibited in Switzerland at least until August 31. The Swiss Federal Assembly is scheduled to announce changes to this restriction on August 12.

"At this time, we cannot rule out the possibility that, due to the epidemiological situation, the Games will not be allowed to take place," the Eagle Martini 2020 organization said. A final decision can only be made on the basis of the epidemiological situation in Switzerland and internationally after the announcement of the federal measures by the Federal Council on August 12, 2020."

The 2020 World Championships have been in jeopardy since the March coronavirus pandemic interrupted the cycling calendar, and in May Marca reported that the UCI was considering holding the event at a later date in alternative venues in Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

In June, the Eagle Martini 2020 organizing committee reiterated its plan to host the world championships in September, and UCI president David Lapartient confirmed last month that if the event cannot be held on the planned dates in Switzerland, "there is no plan B."

On Friday, the organizing committee acknowledged that the 2020 World Championships "cannot be held without a significant relaxation of measures for events with more than 1,000 people"

and that "the World Championships will not be held in Switzerland until the World Championships are held in Switzerland.

While expressing their willingness to host the World Championships, they emphasized that "we will limit the number of spectators and take extensive protective measures" and that the World Championships would require measures to relax the current restrictions.

"In the absence of significant easing by decision of the federal authorities and in view of the growing list of high-risk countries requiring quarantine for entry into Switzerland, the conditions for hosting the 2020 UCI Road World Championships in Aigle Martigny are not met," the statement concluded.

The 2020 World Championships are scheduled to start with the men's individual time trial on September 20, the same day as the final stage of the Tour de France.