With considerations to the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic, CEC announces that a formal team of Canadian athletes and coaches will not be attending the two IFSC events scheduled in May 2021:
- IFSC – Climbing World Cup (B) – Salt Lake City (USA), May 21-22 2021
- IFSC – Climbing World Cup (B,S) – Salt Lake City (USA), May 28-30 2021
In making this decision, the CEC High Performance team applied the previously announced International Competition Assessment Process, the details of which were announced on March 12, 2021, and determined that it was not safe or meaningful to send a formal Canadian Team to the Salt Lake City World Cup events. In applying the International Competition Assessment Process, the CEC staff applied Own the Podium’s “Event Return to Competition Risk Assessment and Mitigation Checklist Tool”, and considered multiple factors, including, but not limited to:
the Canadian Government is not currently recommending international travels, and has imposed strict International Travel Restrictions and Guidelines.
- Own The Podium and Sport Canada currently recommend that only athletes qualified for Tokyo 2021, or in the process of qualifying for Tokyo 2021 or Beijing 2022, should attend international competitions.
- There will not be a “bubble” system in place in Salt Lake City that would guarantee the athletes’ and support personnel’s safety while attending the World Cup event.
- Vaccines are not generally available to Canadian high performance athletes and support personnel at this time.
In accordance with CEC’s previously announced International Competition Assessment Process, CEC entertained individual requests from athletes whose circumstances are different than the general Canadian situation or a formal Canadian team. Some exemptions have been granted based on location of the athletes, vaccine availability, and training opportunities in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
High Performance Program athletes who were granted an exemption are:
- Sean McColl and Alannah Yip (Olympians)
- Allison Vest, Oscar Baudrand, Ethan Pitcher (permanently reside in the USA)
If the above athletes ultimately choose to attend the Salt Lake City World Cups, they will be attending the event(s) on their own accord. No CNR points, nor CEC financial or human resources, will be allocated. The athletes will have to follow the strict Canadian guidelines upon return to Canada, including completing a 14 days quarantine.
For any questions or comments, please contact Andrew Wilson, High Performance Director, at [email protected]
