Vanessa James and Eric Radford do not know if they will be able to compete in the next Canadian Olympic figure skating trials, having recently been diagnosed positive with COVID-19.
The best Canadian couple this season revealed on a conference call that they each tested positive for COVID-19 in just three days, during the holiday break.
James was tested positive on December 23, followed by Radford at Boxing Day.
Radford indicated that it is already very difficult for athletes to prepare for the Olympics, and that they now face “an invisible minefield” as they must avoid becoming infected with the Omicron variant – much more easily transmitted than its predecessors.
A positive test at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships would prevent an athlete from traveling to Beijing, under deadlines required by the Chinese government to test negative before flying.
Skate Canada did not require athletes to test negative before the start of competition this week.
James, of Toronto, and Radford, of Balmertown, Ont., Said if they are unable to skate this week then they will hope to qualify for the Beijing Olympics based on their results so far. this season.