Oksana Masters, a two-time winner from last year, will be unable to defend her titles due to the coronavirus outbreak ©Getty Images

The Para Biathlon World Championships in Östersund in Sweden have been cancelled due to the growing spread of coronavirus in the country.

The Swedish Government announced on Wednesday evening that all events involving the participation of more than 500 people will be cancelled.

There have been more than 500 cases in Sweden, including the first fatality from the disease today. 

A statement from World Para Snow Sports said, "The Östersund 2020 Local Organising Committee, the National Paralympic Committee of Sweden and World Para Snow Sports regret the cancellation of the World Championships but support the decision to place the health and well-being of athletes, staff and all other participants – as well as the general public – as the number one priority."

A total of 104 athletes from 14 nations were set to compete until Sunday at the Para Biathlon World Championships.

This was the first year that Para Biathlon was set to hold a separate World Championships, with competition scheduled to begin tomorrow. 

Previously, the sport was held with cross-country skiing and fell under the umbrella of the World Para Nordic Skiing Championships. 

The infection figures globally are now at over 126,000 people with 4.616 deaths.