According to the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Oman will not take place in 2020 after the death of Sultan Qaboos earlier this month.

The six-stage race was scheduled to run from February 11-16, but Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani have left a void on the calendar.

After an initial three days of full mourning, Oman went into 40 days of extended mourning, with flags at half-staff, and the Ministry of Tourism ordered the cancellation of concerts and other events.

However, the route was announced on January 16, six days after Caboose's death, and the 11th edition of the race was expected to go ahead. The race is run by ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France.

Sultan Qaboos was the longest-serving ruler in the Arab world after taking power from his father in 1970, and oversaw Oman's remarkable period of development. Investment in sports was an important part of his modern vision for Oman, and the Tour of Oman was seen as a success story in attracting top-level riders.

Kaboos was succeeded by his cousin and former president of the Oman Football Association, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

The Tour of Oman, first held in 2010, has become an early-season proving ground for classic specialists and sprinters. The key stage for the overall win takes place on the steep slopes of the Green Mountains and has been won twice before by Astana's Alexey Lutsenko.

Sprinters Cavendish and Viviani, as well as Cofidis' Jesús Herrada, who finished third overall last year, are confirmed for the 2020 edition.