Lahti will be one of two Finnish hosts of the Nordic Junior World Ski Championships next year ©Getty Images

Finland has been named as the sole host of next year's Nordic Junior World Ski Championships after the complete withdrawal of Poland.

Cross-country competition is planned for Vuokatti with ski jumping and Nordic combined set to take place in Lahti.

Zakopane in Poland was due to stage the Championships but partially withdrew last month after disruption caused by COVID-19.

It was initially hoped that cross-country would still take place there but the country has now pulled out of the International Ski Federation event entirely. 

Vuokatti's events are now due to take place between February 8 and 14 with Lahti taking centre stage from February 9 to 12.

"Organising competitions in this global situation is challenging, but with two strong organising locations, we came to an end result that serves our sports and athletes," said Ismo Hämäläinen, the executive director of the Finnish Ski Association.

Zakopane was initially due to host the Championships but has now completely pulled out ©Getty Images
Zakopane was initially due to host the Championships but has now completely pulled out ©Getty Images

"There are many components in an equation that effect the whole. 

"We do not compromise on health safety, but we want to guarantee the development of top sports also taking into account the economic realities."

Vuokatti is the host of next year's European Youth Olympic Festival Festival (EYOF), with that event planned for between December 11 and 18.

It means that officials will be able to use the Nordic Junior World Ski Championships to test conditions and competition organisation.

"We are happy to have all the ski stars of the future as our guests to compete in Vuokatti," said Ann-Mary Ähtävä, the secretary general of the Nordic Junior World Ski Championships.