Five members of Team Canada’s delegation in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics are currently in COVID-19 protocol, the Canadian Olympic Committee said Friday.
The COC announced the numbers in a release outlining its plans to share information related to COVID-19 cases.
The COC said it will provide an update of the number of team members in protocol as part of its daily recaps starting Feb. 4, when the Games officially open. It will provide updates when possible leading up to the start of the Olympics.
The COC said the names of those in protocol will not be shared, unless the athlete wishes to disclose that information.
“Part of our strategy was to arrive early to allow time for confirmation testing and, if necessary, the Medical Expert Panel process to unfold. Because there will likely be persistent shedders among the delegation, we will not be sharing names at this time,” the COC said in a release.
“In the event of a confirmed positive case that results in an athlete being unable to compete, we will respect the athlete’s privacy and not announce their name without their consent. In the event they do wish to disclose their situation, we will work with them to do so.”
The International Olympic Committee has said an athlete that tests positive for COVID-19 in China will need to produce two negative tests 24 hours apart to be released from isolation. It also reduced the period for which a person is deemed a close contact to seven days from 14.
China’s strict COVID-19 measures have raised concerns among athletes and officials, who fear they could be blocked from competing even if they have recovered from the virus.
215 athletes to represent Canada in Beijing
Five-time Olympic gold medallist Charles Hamelin is back to compete in his fifth and final Winter Olympic Games as part of a 215-athlete delegation Canada is sending to Beijing.
Hamelin, the decorated short-track speedskater from Sainte-Julie Que., is one of 45 Olympic medallists on the team looking for another trip to the podium.
The Canadian Olympic Committee announced its full team Friday. It’s the third-largest Winter Games contingent the country has ever sent.
Of the 215 athletes heading to China to compete, there are 106 who identify as female, the most ever in Canadian Winter Olympic history.
“Our success at Games will be measured by the health and safety of Team Canada and on the ability for athletes to step on the field of play and live out their dreams,” said Eric Myles, the COC’s chief sport officer, in a release. “We look forward to the incredible and inspiring stories that will come from these Olympic Games.”
Sixteen-year-old snowboarder Brooke D’Hont will be the youngest athlete competing for Canada at the games and is among 117 who will be making their Olympic debut.
Curler Jennifer Jones, who won gold in 2014, is the oldest Canadian athlete at 47 years of age.
Ontario will be best represented on Team Canada with 60 athletes, with Quebec not far behind with 57.
Alberta will have 40 and British Columbia is sending 32.
No other province or territory will have double-digit athletes. Manitoba has nine, Saskatchewan has six, Nova Scotia has four, Newfoundland and Labrador have three, and New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Yukon each have one athlete.
Nunavut and the Northwest Territories do not have an Olympic representative and one athlete, figure skater Keegan Messing, was born outside of Canada (Alaska, United States).