A request by the organizers of next year's skiing world championships in Italy to postpone the event by one year was rejected Thursday by the International Ski Federation.
FIS ruled that the event will go ahead from Feb. 7-21, 2021, in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The Veneto region of northern Italy was hit hard by the coronavirus and the season-ending World Cup races in Cortina in mid-March were canceled. That week-long event was to be a test for the 2021 worlds.
Organizers in Italy said they would face losses of about 30 million euros ($34 million) if the worlds are also canceled. They asked for a postponement to March 2022, which would be only weeks after the Beijing Olympics.
Cortina, which hosted the 1956 Olympics, will co-host the 2026 Games with Milan and use the worlds as a showcase for the resort.
The Dolomites venue was awarded the 2021 worlds by FIS after missing out as a candidate four straight times from 2013-19.
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