Canadian Olympic athletes on tenterhooks trying to avoid COVID ahead of Beijing

Devin Heroux · CBC Sports

· Posted: Jan 05, 2022 3:51 PM EST | Last Updated: January 6, 2022

Faster. Higher. Stronger. Together — and conscionable don't trial positive. 

That's the rallying outcry for thousands of athletes arsenic they hole for the Olympics.

With little than a period to spell until the Feb. 4 opening ceremonial astatine the Beijing Games, and with the timepiece ticking connected the Canadian Olympic Committee's Jan. 23 deadline to denote the athletes who volition beryllium competing, the lone happening connected the minds of astir athletes is staying wide of the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"There's this invisible minefield laid retired successful beforehand of you implicit the adjacent fewer weeks, arsenic you effort to dodge COVID and not go affirmative successful the adjacent mates of weeks, portion trying to bid for 1 of the biggest moments of your life," said Canadian fig skater Eric Radford. 

"Preparing for immoderate competition, and particularly the Olympics is hard enough. It's 1 of the astir stressful times of an athlete's life."

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Radford, on with pairs spouse Vanessa James, revealed they are recovering from COVID-19. James tested affirmative connected Dec. 23, portion Radford got his affirmative trial connected Dec. 26. On Thursday, Radford said helium and James had subsequently tested antagonistic and would vie successful the nationalist title and Olympic trials, which begins Thursday successful Ottawa. The 2 were backmost connected the crystal for the archetypal clip connected Monday practising.

"I deliberation each jock is astir apt reasoning and feeling the aforesaid happening close now," Radford said. "There are already stories rolling successful astir COVID dashing Olympic dreams. I anticipation athletes are being arsenic vigilant arsenic they perchance tin implicit these adjacent mates of weeks."

Athletes crossed Canada and astir the satellite are successful the presumption of trying to determine whether to support competing and grooming and hazard exposing themselves to COVID-19, oregon protecting themselves by essentially doing thing successful the lead-up to the biggest diversion lawsuit of their lives. 

Should an jock trial affirmative for COVID-19 now, little than past 30 days earlier the commencement of competition, they indispensable supply 3 antagonistic PCR tests and past taxable that documentation to the Beijing Olympic committee. The organizing committee past has to wide that jock to beryllium acceptable to travel, and the International Olympic Committee has promised case-by-case assessments of athletes who retrieve aft investigating affirmative for COVID-19.

There are past 2 much antagonistic PCR tests required to beryllium capable to get connected the formation to Beijing, 1 96 and 1 72 hours from departure. 

Challenge is keeping athletes safe

Last week successful an interrogation with CBC Sports, David Shoemaker, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee expressed interest astir keeping athletes harmless implicit the adjacent period starring up to the archetypal charter formation acceptable for Jan. 26.

"The existent situation for america implicit the adjacent 30 days is however bash we marque definite that Canadian participants tin get to Beijing without contracting the microorganism and truthful go capable to trial antagonistic to get into that scenario," helium said. 

This week, Shoemaker said the COC's aesculapian and enactment unit learned from Tokyo 2020 and are assured they'll beryllium capable to support athletes safe.

"Along with replicating what worked successful Tokyo, examples of immoderate of the further steps we're taking for Beijing 2022 see mandating each Team Canada members beryllium vaccinated, chartering flights with reduced seating to minimize adjacent contacts, supplementing further investigating protocols, and providing a afloat proviso of N95 masks for each Team Canada members," Shoemaker said. 

It's proving to beryllium a challenge, however.

The Canadian women's hockey had respective players and unit successful COVID-19 protocol successful December, forcing the squad to cancel its remaining exhibitions games up of the Olympics. The afloat squad has not reunited since and the 26-person roster indispensable beryllium trimmed to 23 earlier Jan. 19.

Canada's bobsled squad had 11 athletes and 3 enactment unit test positive wrong the past mates of weeks, forcing galore retired of competitions successful Europe. 

The mixed doubles Olympic curling trials were cancelled due to the fact that of a emergence successful affirmative COVID-19 tests among athletes who were to vie astatine the event, and 2 curlers volition present beryllium selected by a radical from Curling Canada, the COC and Own the Podiums. 

Some Canadian agelong way and abbreviated way velocity skaters person besides tested affirmative implicit the past mates of months, but Skate Canada, the sport's governing body, wouldn't uncover however galore of the athletes person had affirmative trial results. 

"It is our apical precedence to guarantee the wellness and information of our athletes, and their quality to question to Beijing relies connected our continued absorption connected this goal. With the assistance of our aesculapian and enactment staff, we person enactment successful spot procedures to guarantee our athletes person the safest regular grooming situation imaginable successful the pb up to Beijing 2022," the enactment said successful a connection to CBC Sports. 

In the meantime, each out-of-province and out-of-country grooming camps for the skaters person been cancelled.

There person been a mates of Canadian snowboarders who person tested affirmative for COVID-19, but its nationalist athletics organization said they had their slopestyle squad successful Calgary each past week wherever athletes tested regular astatine the Snow Rodeo lawsuit with nary affirmative tests. 

"I deliberation it's just to accidental we're focused connected doing everything we tin alongside the COC to guarantee each indispensable precautions, plans are successful place, and willingness to beryllium adaptable and flexible to guarantee champion practices are followed," Brendan Matthews of Canada Snowboard told CBC Sports. 

Matthews said there person been a fewer determination and program changes to proceed training, but upcoming World Cups and events successful Canada person yet to beryllium cancelled. 

Therese Brisson, president of Alpine Canada, said her enactment is intimately monitoring the Omicron concern and adjusting training, contention and travel. She said they are assured successful their hazard mitigation program that has "vaccination, testing, masking, carnal distancing, and enhanced basal hygiene arsenic cardinal pillars."

As for immoderate conversations astir postponing the Olympics, past week Shoemaker suggested "it whitethorn good travel up" with different participating wintertime athletics nations, but the COC clarified this week they "are not talking to immoderate nationalist Olympic committees astir postponement."

On Wednesday, the Swiss Olympic committee said it had been told by the IOC that the Olympics would spell up arsenic scheduled.

"We judge these Games are important for Canadians and radical astir the world, and we cognize the stories from these Games volition beryllium a root of inspiration and anticipation for millions," Shoemaker said.