Gold medalist Sui Wenjing (L)/Han Cong of China performs during the gala exhibition of 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

The International Skating Union (ISU) announced on Monday that it was canceling the Cup of China, the third of six Grand Prix events originally planned to be held in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality in early November, due to limits related to COVID-19. 

In a statement, the ISU said the "limits" were "limited international flights in all inbound cities in China and the relevant prevention restrictions for COVID-19." 

"The visiting side, including the athletes, needed to consider if the relevant prevention restrictions of the host side were adaptable or acceptable. Taking quarantine as an example, how can athletes continue their training in the 14 days of quarantine if they follow the fixed prevention rules of the host? With such concerns, it was likely for the game to be canceled and to move it to another place," Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times.  

"Another matter of concern is how restrictive local prevention measures are." 

The ISU further explained it decided to cancel the event because "the concept of a 'competition bubble' cannot be realized," and indicated that its next move will be to invite potential and interested ISU member nations to apply to host the game. 

"This 'bubble' refers to the competition and living area of the athletes. For example, the hotels where athletes live must be exclusive to the sports teams without other guests. They also must have their own private vehicles to take them to the competition field instead of public transport. And also rules to wear masks at the competition," Wang explained.   

In addition to the event in China, five other stops are scheduled for the US, Canada, France, Russia and Japan. The finals for the Grand Prix are scheduled to be held at Osaka, Japan in early December. 

The entire Grand Prix will set the stage for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. 

The Grand Prix also experienced challenges last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The finals were canceled, only four events were held and only Chinese athletes were able to participate in the Cup of China. 

"This is not a problem for just the Grand Prix. The 2020 World Championships were also canceled and other kinds of sporting events have also been stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic," a sports observer told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Skating stars such as Chinese world champion pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, as well as world champions Gabriella Papadakis were set to compete at the Cup of China.