Three World Cup speedskating events in Canada cancelled because of COVID-19

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — A World Cup speedskating event in Calgary and short-track competitions in Montreal and Laval, Que., have been cancelled because of COVID-19.

The International Skating Union announced Monday that the first World Cup speedskating events of the 2020-21 season, including one in Calgary from Dec. 11 to 13, have been cancelled.

The ISU also wiped out the first two World Cup short-track events of the season, in Montreal from Nov. 6 to 8, and Laval from Nov. 13 to 15.

“While we are disappointed that we are unable to welcome the world’s best speed skaters this fall, Speed Skating Canada is fully supportive of such decisions that prioritize the health and safety of our sport’s participants and that of the entire communities in which we compete,” Canada’s governing body of the sport said Monday in a statement on its website.

“We look forward to hosting world-class events again once it is safe to do so.”

For speedskating, the ISU says it is evaluating a hub concept in Netherlands as an alternative to the first four World Cups.

Events in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki, Poland (Nov. 13 to 15), Stavanger, Norway (Nov. 20 to 22) and Salt Lake City (Dec. 4 to 6) also are off the schedule.

The ISU says it is still evaluating whether to go ahead with short-track events in Seoul from Dec. 11 to 13 and Beijing from Dec. 18 to 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 31, 2020.

The Canadian Press