The Tour of Oman will not be held in 2020, race organizer Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) confirmed Wednesday.

The six-stage Pro Series race, which was scheduled to run from February 11-16, was cancelled due to the death of Sultan Qaboos, according to reports on Tuesday.

ASO, which had broken the news to teams this week, has yet to issue an official statement, but confirmed to Cycling News on Wednesday morning that the race would not take place.

The reason for the cancellation is "extended national mourning following the death of the Sultan."

When Sultan Qaboos, who had ruled Oman since 1970, died on January 10, schools and workplaces were closed and a three-day mourning period was instituted. However, a longer period of 40 days is now in place, flags are flown at half-staff, and the Ministry of Tourism has ordered the cancellation of various events and festivals.

The cancellation of the 2020 Tour of Oman is circumstantial; the race will be held again in 2021. The new sultan is Caboose's cousin, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who previously headed the Oman Football Association and is understood to be enthusiastic about the sport.

The loss of the race left a void in the race schedule for many riders. Mark Cavendish (Bahrain McLaren), Elia Viviani (Cofidis), and Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) are among those confirmed to race. Many of the riders competing in Oman will compete in the Tour of Saudi Arabia the week before, the UAE Tour the week after, or all three.

The Tour of Oman was first held in 2010 and has become an established part of the early season racing in the Middle East bloc, giving sprinters and classics an opportunity to hone their form. The overall win has traditionally been decided by a summit finish on the Green Mountain, with Astana's Alexey Lutsenko winning the last two editions.