COVID-19 of Norwegian skiers, the refusal of the Russian referee and the return of Tarasova: what they are talking about a week before the Olympic Games in Beijing

Russian Olympians have started arriving in Beijing to take part in the Winter Olympics.

The first flight from Moscow to Beijing Airport brought short track, biathlon and speed skating teams, as well as a women's ice hockey team.

However, the arrival was overshadowed by a number of unpleasant circumstances.

So, the athletes had to wait about three hours for their luggage after a long night flight. Such a long delay was due to the sanitization that all arrivals in China must undergo. In addition, according to media reports, social distancing requirements were not observed at the airport. The Russians found themselves in the same general queue with other guests of the Middle Kingdom during border control, which can greatly increase the risk of coronavirus infection. To all other troubles, the organizers allocated unheated buses to the participants of the Olympics, in which the biathletes had to overcome more than a hundred kilometers to the mountain Olympic village.

And the Ukrainian skeleton team will have to prepare for additional expenses, as the Chinese authorities demand that they pay separately for testing equipment for competitions.

Ukrainian skeletonist Vladislav Geraskevich told about this on his Instagram.

“Our team faced another problem on the way to China.

This time it is connected with the transfer of the bob-sleigh, on which Lida Gunko will compete.

The Chinese side demands to pay a huge amount of money for PCR testing of the bob-sleigh and all the things in the container in which it all arrived in China.

Where do you think the smear will be taken from?”

— wrote the athlete.

The good news for athletes is that they will be allowed to take off their protective masks during the award ceremonies.

Often in other competitions, winners and prize-winners are required to take precautions even during this exciting and joyful moment, but the organizers of the Games in Beijing decided to make an indulgence.

The event protocol will allow for some time to remove the masks from the face so that the fans can see the emotions of the athletes.

A nice bonus for Russian athletes will also be per diems from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), which rely on the time of the competition.

For those who live in the village and have access to a common dining room, the amount of payments will be 1,800 rubles per day.

The rest of the delegation members can count on 5,100 rubles to pay for their meals, Match TV reports.

Due to the coronavirus, the pre-Olympic event, traditional for Russian athletes, was disrupted - a service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior together with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

However, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill, did not forget about the Olympians and turned to them with his parting words.

“With your work, you have earned the right to defend the honor of the Fatherland on the fields of sports battles.

Over the years of hard training under the guidance of coaches and mentors, you have honed your skills, overcame difficulties and trials, tempered your character and will to win.

I hope that in the upcoming competitions you will be able to show impressive results, achieve considerable sporting success and win new Olympic awards,” Kirill said.

The collapse in the Norwegian national team and the mood of Vyalba

Cross-country skiing at the Olympics can suffer quite serious losses due to the coronavirus.

In the Norwegian women's team, Heidi Weng and Anne Kalvo have tested positive.

On February 1, the team must fly to China in order to take part in the first race on the 5th, but at the request of the Italian authorities, where the Norwegians were training, they must remain in isolation until February 3.

Weng can be called one of the most famous athletes who risk missing the Olympics due to the coronavirus.

She is a regular member of the relay quartet of the Norwegian national team, with whom she won four golds at the world championships.

Weng also twice was second in the 30-kilometer marathon, including the last championship of the planet.

This season, the 30-year-old skier also showed good results and took third place in the overall standings of the Tour de Ski.

In her absence, Norway will be much more difficult to fight for gold in the relay.

There were no reports of problems in the men's team for a long time, but the Norwegian media reported with concern that the federation contacted some skiers who were not included in the team.

They were warned about a possible replacement and urged to be ready to fly to China.

As a result, the fears were confirmed - a positive PCR test was passed by the current Olympic champion in skiathlon Simen Kruger.

The leader of the Norwegian national team Johannes Klebo escaped infection, but along with Veng and Kalvo, he is in isolation in Italy and cannot fully train.

In the Russian team, rumors about possible infections are denied.

According to head coach Yuri Borodavko, none of the athletes risk missing the Olympics, but everyone needs to wait for the results of the latest tests to be completely sure.

“It is very interesting where such information comes from.

We just passed the tests today, and already information about positive ones.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet, ”said Borodavko to the Championship.

The team in China will be accompanied by the head of the Russian Ski Racing Federation Elena Vyalbe.

She figuratively compared the upcoming Olympics with a war and assured that she would not leave athletes without her supervision, although she promised that she would only contact everyone remotely.

“Are you suggesting that I stay at home in comfortable conditions?

Every Olympics is another war.

And what can be a war without its leader?

It is not right.

I'm going to Beijing, and it's not even discussed.

No matter how difficult the conditions are.

I'm coming from an international federation.

Most likely, only remote communication will be possible with the team - a walkie-talkie, Skype.

But the team still needs to know that I'm around.

Yes, and we'll see.

In Korea, they also thought that we would not see each other, but in the end everything was fine, ”Vyalbe told Sport Express.

Replacement of the judge and the arrival of Tutberidze in Krasnoyarsk

It’s not just athletes and coaches who are worried about the prospect of spending the coming weeks in isolation from the world, while maintaining the strictest security measures and still risking infection. In figure skating, the Russian referee Alla Shekhovtsova decided to refuse this. She stated that she was not ready to work in such conditions, so Elena Fomina would replace her.

“Indeed, I was originally supposed to work in ice dancing competitions, but something happened with the tests of the Japanese judge and a place in the team tournament was vacated.

Thus, the period of the business trip was seriously increased.

For my nervous system to spend so much time in the “bubble” is a big load.

After the coronavirus, I still continue to put myself in order.

This season I have already missed the Junior Grand Prix, now I am engaged in family and recovery, so I am not going to the Olympics, ”Shekhovtsova told RIA Novosti.

Initially, judges from Russia were not supposed to work in the team tournament.

So it was determined by the results of the draw.

But now Fomina will be able to directly participate in determining the results of the most intriguing Olympic discipline.

In the Russian national team, after replacing Mikhail Kolyada with Evgeny Semenenko, there was no more disturbing news.

On January 26, a group of Eteri Tutberidze arrived in Krasnoyarsk for the final team, which includes Kamila Valieva, Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov.

The skaters will stay in Russia until February 1, after which they will fly to Beijing, where the team tournament will start on the 4th.

Like four years ago, Honored Coach of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova will tell Russian fans about what is happening in figure skating.

Despite the fact that she has recently had health problems, she still intends to go on air during the competition.

“I will broadcast from Moscow, but not at the microphone, but by phone.

I will not comment on each specific rental.

I will join after the competition and between them, expressing my opinion.

I will comment from Moscow.

I’m still sick, there is weakness, so I won’t go there, ”Tassova told TASS about her plans.