The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) event had initially been scheduled for April 2020.

The impact of the pandemic led to the event being moved to March 2021, before another rescheduling to September last year.

Last August saw the FIG accept a proposal from the Japanese Gymnastics Federation to hold the event as part of the International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) World Series.

The competition was planned to take place from March 25 to 27 in Hiroshima.

However, the FIG has now confirmed the pandemic will force the event to be rescheduled again.

"Unfortunately, the first edition of the FIG Parkour World Championships, planned for 25-27 March 2022, in Hiroshima, Japan, must be postponed again due to the Covid-19 pandemic," an FIG statement read.

"These World Championships - the organisation of which has been entrusted to the Japan Gymnastics Association - were initially due to take place in April 2020.

"New dates will be announced when officially confirmed."

Hiroshima was announced as the host of the first FIG Parkour World Championships in 2019.

The Japanese city has strong connections to parkour, having held the first official FIG competition in the discipline in April 2018.

The FIG voted to include parkour as a new gymnastics discipline at its Congress in December 2018, a decision criticised by groups who claimed the worldwide body had no legitimate claim to taking over the running of the sport.

It proposed parkour for inclusion at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games but its application was rejected by the International Olympic Committee.