The International Ski Federation (FIS) published its Covid-19 testing protocol for the 2020/2021 season on Wednesday, making a PCR test mandatory for athletes before each event, a measure to be repeated every three or four days .
The FIS asks the athletes but also the other stakeholders of the competitions (organizers, supervision, certain accredited persons …) to present themselves with a negative PCR test dating from less than ” 72 or 96 hours “(Without specifying the difference between the two time limits), and to repeat this test every” 3 or 4 days ” on the spot.
In the event of a positive test during an event, an individual will be immediately quarantined. Above all, each of the people he has encountered during the last 72 hours will also have to be tested and placed in solitary confinement until his test turns out possibly negative.
Public limited to Sölden
The FIS also indicates that a serological test for antibodies has been added since August to the doping controls. If an athlete appears to have already contracted the novel coronavirus and to be immune, ” he will not be required to perform other Covid-19 tests during his entire period of immunity. »
The end of the season for most winter sports was severely disrupted last March by the novel coronavirus pandemic. In alpine skiing, the start of the 2020/21 season in Sölden (Austria) has been brought forward to October 17 and 18 in order to be able to privatize the Rettenbach glacier.
Organizers warned on Wednesday that the opening giants would take place in front of a limited number of spectators and journalists. All communication operations and fan club parades are canceled.
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