Cycling-Tour Down Under's 2022 race cancelled due to COVID-19 rules

FILE PHOTO: The Australian Olympic Cycling team trains at the Anna Meares Velodrome, a potential venue for the Track Cycling event for the 2032 Olympic Games bid, in Brisbane, Australia, July 6, 2021. Picture taken July 6, 2021. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo

(Reuters) - The Tour Down Under in Australia, which was scheduled to take place in January, has been cancelled for a second straight year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers said on Thursday.

Traditionally the first World Tour race of the season, the event was set to include the men's UCI WorldTour and women's UCI ProTour races but the country's strict quarantine measures proved to be a major hurdle in bringing teams to Australia.