During the recent European Figure Skating Championships, the Russians Kamila Valiejeva (15), Anna Shcherbakova (17) and Alexandra Troesova (17) qualified for the Winter Games last week. Behind this trio, the Belgian Loena Hendrickx finished in 4th place.
But the trio are reportedly unvaccinated, while only athletes who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will be allowed to compete in the Games, February 4-20 in Beijing.
Athletes who want to avoid that mandatory jab must be quarantined in China for 21 days before the start of their competition. The short program for the figure skaters is on Tuesday 15 February.
The director of the figure skating federation of Russia, Alexander Kogan, told the Russian news agency TASS before the European Championship that it has been agreed with the Chinese organizers that minors can participate without vaccination.
The 3 medalists of the European Championship are all minors, none of them will turn 18 before the end of the Games. The Ministry of Health of Russia has allowed vaccination of 12 to 17 year olds since November.
If Russia is not allowed to use the best three of the European Championship in Beijing, other drivers can be called upon. Jelizaveta Tuktamysheva (25) and Maja Chromych (15) were the reserves for the European Championship.
Tuktamysheva and Chromych were 7th and 8th in the Russian title fight, last month in Saint Petersburg. The numbers 4, 5 and 6 of that tournament are too young to participate in the Games. The IOC requires Olympic participants to be at least 16 years old by July 1 this year.
The drivers and drivers from Russia will not participate under the Russian flag, but under that of the Russian Olympic Committee. That has to do with the suspension imposed on the country as a result of state-sponsored doping practices.
Later this season, the same problems will arise for the World Cup in Montpellier at the end of March. France has mandated vaccination for athletes to participate in tournaments since this week.
