The Stella Zakharova Cup 2014, which would have been attended by some of the world's best athletes, including from Russia, the United States, Romania, Japan and China, was scheduled to take place in Kyiv on September 10 until 15.

It had already been postponed twice from its original date of March 29 and 30 and then to April 26 and 27 because of the conflict that has taken place since Crimea was annexed by Russia earlier this year.

"The worldwide FIG community feels for the Ukrainian gymnastics family during these difficult times and hopes that the situation in the country stabilises as soon as possible," read a statement from the sport's world governing body.

The Stella Zakharova Cup is just the latest international sporting event to have been hit by the situation in Ukraine, branded as the "the most dangerous conflict to grip Europe since the wars in the former Yugoslavia".

Pro-Russian separatists continue to fight Ukrainian forces following Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March ©Getty Images


Last month, the country was stripped of the right to host its Davis Cup tie by the International Tennis Federation over security fears, while a rugby league match between Ukraine and Russia in May was moved to Russia, with the 2015 reverse fixture instead down to take place in Ukraine.

Kharkiv had also been due to host an international football match between Ukraine and the United States in March but this ended up being played in Cyprus.

FIBA Europe, the European branch of the International Basketball Federation, also stripped Ukraine of the hosting rights for next year's EuroBasket "after careful consideration" in June.

The replacement host nation is due to be selected at the next FIBA Europe board meeting on September 8, with Germany, France, Israel, Croatia, Finland, Latvia, Poland and Turkey hoping to stage the continental showpiece tournament.

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