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It’s go time for Team Canada with Beijing Games 100 days away

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These aren’t the simplest of instances to be an Olympic athlete with uncertainty and bundled protocols the day by day actuality to combine with the extraordinary focus of getting ready to compete in what for a lot of would be the showcase occasion of a aggressive lifetime.

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These challenges lengthen past the skiers, skaters and sliders, nonetheless, because the Canadian Olympic Committee employees getting ready for the 2022 Beijing Video games continues to be taught every day.

With the Opening Ceremony in China now simply 100 days away, it’s basically go time.

There are check occasions are underway in Asia, groups are being finalized and this week in Toronto, the snazzy Workforce Canada attire equipment was unveiled by Canadian designer lululemon.

However contemplating that it was simply 80 days in the past that the Tokyo Summer season Video games closed — a yr later than scheduled as a result of COVID-19 pandemic — the calls for in getting ready for a second Video games so quickly have piled that a lot greater on Canadian sport officers.

“We had our eye on the shrunk hole between Tokyo and Beijing for a while and being compressed to half a yr was going to be difficult however nonetheless doable,” the COC’s chief govt officer David Shoemaker mentioned in an interview.

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“However 100 days out we’re feeling the pinch a bit, notably as a result of there’s nonetheless so much unknown concerning the COVID counter measures, as they get referred to as within the Olympic world, and all of the completely different guidelines we’ll be given once we get there.”

These guidelines are altering nearly day by day, with even essentially the most rudimentary of duties changing into a problem. And by now, Shoemaker and his employees has discovered to count on the sudden.

Simply this week, for instance, officers have been left scrambling after Air Canada cancelled quite a few flights to Beijing, a lot of which might have carried our athletes to China.

There aren’t many days that go, it appears, that there isn’t not less than as twist or two delivered as to how the Beijing organizing committee plans to restrict motion as soon as the Video games start.

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That mentioned, the COC’s obligation is to press by means of the challenges and put together the winter athletes as diligently as their summer season cousins. As soon as on the bottom and with the motion below means, Shoemaker believes the winter model will operate effectively sufficient, helped by classes discovered from the restrictions athletes competed by means of in Tokyo.

“We imagine the Chinese language organizes will strategy COVID a lot the identical because the Japanese organizing dedicated did — treating the atmosphere with the utmost seriousness and in some circumstances, much more significantly,” Shoemaker mentioned. “We predict a lot of the identical by way of protocols.”

The COC can also be getting ready for the Chinese language twist on the proceedings, together with an Olympic bubble that may preserve athletes, help employees and media confined to their lodging and venues.

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Complicating issues is that like many winter Video games, the motion can be scattered round three distinct venues, every with their very own restrictions of motion.

Within the Beijing cluster, occasions corresponding to hockey, determine skating, pace skating and curling will happen. Up in Zhangiakou snowboarding, freestyle and cross-country snowboarding would be the focus whereas alpine and sliding occasions can be centred within the Yanquing Cluster.

On prime of the inflexible guidelines imposed by the Chinese language organizers, Shoemaker mentioned the COC will implement its personal tips for Canadian athletes. The hope is that familiarity with these measures will repay within the podium pursuit by Canadian athletes.

“In Tokyo we took the pandemic as significantly if no more significantly than anyone and we’ll most likely do the identical (in China),” Shoemaker mentioned. “I believe our athletes have been prepared for the masks carrying and the testing and the rigidity of the foundations.

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“We layer on our personal guidelines. We predict it’s a very vital well being goal to convey our group and return our group COVID free.”

Given the report success in PyeongChang 4 years in the past — wherein Canadians captured 29 whole medals — there can be heightened expectations for Beijing on the Video games, which run from Feb. 3-20. Early prognostications for Beijing have Canada pegged within the 25 medal vary.

It should actually be a problem for the 228 athletes destined for China to match the efficiency in Korea, a nationwide report at a Winter Video games.

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However Shoemaker sees the success that Canadian summer season athletes had in Japan as “an enormous motivator,” notably given the uncertainty of coaching and competing by means of a worldwide pandemic.

Particularly, Shoemaker cited the excellent efficiency by the Canadian swimming group, wherein most athletes have been unable to coach within the water for greater than 100 days but nonetheless had an enormous efficiency within the Olympic pool.

“I believe that the lesson discovered from the Tokyo Video games is one which the Beijing athletes will embrace,” Shoemaker mentioned. “I believe our winter athletes are very a lot impressed and can due to this fact carry out nicely once we get to Beijing.”

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