Nordiq Canada to Proceed with Olympic Trials, January 6-11, at Canmore Nordic Centre as Planned
CANMORE, Alta.—After reviewing the current status of COVID-19 pandemic, Nordiq Canada in partnership with Nordiq Alberta and Foothills Nordic, have decided to proceed with the Olympic and World Junior/U23 Championship Trials set for Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, January 6-11, 2022.
“The long-term health and safety of our athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers will always be Nordiq Canada’s top priority, and we believe we can hold this event safely for all involved with rigorous health and safety protocols that are in place,” said Stéphane Barrette, chief executive officer, Nordiq Canada.
“However, while it is important to provide this important competitive race opportunity to finalize our Olympic and World Championship teams, this will not come at all costs. Working with our medical advisors, internal COVID Task Force, sport partners, and high-performance community, we will continue to assess the pandemic and potential risks to our community. We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as required to ensure the safety of our athletes. Should we determine it is not safe to hold the event, or simply cannot hold it following provincial and federal restrictions that may be implemented prior to the scheduled races, we will be prepared to cancel at any time.”
As a result of this update to the status of the Trials, the local organizing committee has decided to extend race registration until January 2. Register here:
Nordiq Canada is weighing all potential options to ensure selections will be made fairly to select the most competitive Canadian teams, and in a timely manner.
As of December 21, 2021, Nordiq Canada has an Olympic quota of four female and three male athletes for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. To date, one female and three male athletes have met the Olympic criteria. The Olympic Trials will be used to select the remaining female spots, as well as alternates for both genders. A complete schedule for the Olympic and World Junior/U23 Championship Trials can be found here.
The Olympic Trials selection criteria and process, including the prioritization of Trials races, has been updated in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Selection Criteria in the Document Centre on the Nordiq Canada web site. Nordiq Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee, plan to announce cross-country ski athletes officially nominated to Team Canada around January 13.
As we head into the holiday season, it is important to remember the pandemic has not run its course, and all athletes and coaches should continue to follow the guidelines provided by Health Canada and your provincial chief medical officers in order to ensure that we can all safely head to the start line in January.
Nordiq Canada’s COVID Task Force has resources to support the entire cross-country skiing community in staying healthy at https://covid.nordiqcanada.ca, and remains committed to providing the community with the most up-to-date information as we have it to allow all to make timely decisions and adjustments to your training and competition plans.
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