One member of Canadian team in COVID protocols, two fewer than a day earlier

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This article was published 02/02/2022 (1704 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BEIJING – Canada had no athletes, and just one member of its delegation, in COVID-19 protocols on Wednesday, down from three members a day earlier.

The 400-plus Canadian delegation includes athletes, coaches and team staff.

“I can tell you that we do not have any athletes in isolation at the moment,” Dr. Mike Wilkinson, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s chief medical officer, said at the team’s traditional opening news conference on Wednesday night.

The COC said earlier in the day that the protocols impacted the person’s ability to fulfil their role at the Games.

“We are managing each one on a case-by-case basis and to respect the privacy of the people involved we will not be sharing names at this time,” the COC’s statement said. “Part of our strategy was to arrive early to allow time for confirmation testing and, if necessary, the Medical Expert Panel process to unfold.”

The COC said it would respect an athlete’s privacy and not announce their names without consent.

Keegan Messing is not with Canada’s figure skating team in Beijing. The 30-year-old from Girdwood, Alaska, is still in Vancouver awaiting negative COVID-19 tests that will clear him for travel.

Messing competes in men’s singles next week, but also in the team event that starts Friday.

Athletes who tests positive in China must produce two negative tests 24 hours apart to be released from isolation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2022.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version contained an inaccurate quote.