The world freestyle skiing and snowboarding championships will not be held as scheduled in China in February due to the coronavirus pandemic.
No international skiing or snowboarding test events will be held at 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic venues this season, meaning freestyle and snowboard worlds must find a new location to be staged, as well as World Cups in several sports.
Earlier this week, it was announced February women’s Alpine skiing World Cup races at the 2022 Winter Olympic venue would be canceled. Replacement races could be scheduled at another site.
“The current situation with the Covid-19 pandemic affecting many parts of the world means that travel restrictions are currently in place, including a current mandatory 14-day quarantine for all international visitors to China,” according to the International Ski Federation (FIS). “The travel situation is likely to remain complex for the coming months, during which the Beijing 2022 test events are scheduled.”
Beijing Winter Olympic test events in other sports this season were previously moved, postponed or canceled -- notably December’s Grand Prix Final in figure skating (postponed indefinitely), World Cups in bobsled, luge, skeleton and short-track speed skating (canceled) and long-track speed skating’s world championships (moved to the Netherlands).
If international test events can’t be rescheduled ahead of the February 2022 Winter Olympics, national events including only Chinese athletes will be held to test the venues.
The 2019 World Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Championships were in Park City, Utah, with halfpipe snowboarders Chloe Kim and Scotty James among the gold medalists.
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