Top US pairs skaters withdraw from nations due to COVID-19
BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday night when he tested positive for COVID-19.
The pairs event begins Thursday at what amounts to the U.S. trials for the Beijing Olympic team. Knierim and Frazier, who became a duo last season when her husband, Chris, retired from skating still could be selected for the games. They would need to petition to a selection committee and prove they are fit to be chosen.
The United States has two spots in the pairs field for China.
“We’re aware of the process and I have been through it before,” said Knierim, who successfully petitioned to make the 2017 Four Continents event after she underwent abdominal surgeries and was sidelined. “It’s not a great feeling to go through it for anyone, but we are grateful that our federation has this mechanism.”
Knierim competed at the 2018 Winter Games with her husband, finishing 15th.
Frazier tested negative Saturday when he began having symptoms. By Tuesday, he was much more ill, and he tested positive Wednesday. He will need to isolate through the weekend.
“I am devastated,” Frazier said. “Any athlete would agree with me, you always want to have the ability to go out and compete. This has been one of the most emotional days of my career. There’s nothing you can do, you have to be safe and smart, but the competitor in you wants to go out and compete and defend your title.”
Both Frazier and Knierim are vaccinated and have received boosters. So have their coaches, former U.S. champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand.
“We feel we provided a safe bubble environment at home, kept the skaters so they weren’t cross mixing,” Sand said. “We’ve been extremely careful.”
Meno added: “It’s pretty shocking and upsetting.”
U.S. Figure Skating’s process for determining who goes to the Olympics takes into account finishes in key competitions over the past year. Knierim and Frazier have put up the best numbers of any American pairs, and it’s not particularly close.
So their chances of having their petition approved would seem relatively strong.
Still, being on the ice showing what Meno called their “great skating” won’t be happening in Nashville.
“Coming in to these championships I felt the strongest and most prepared I have in my entire career of skating,” Knierim said. “Brandon and I felt the strongest we have ever been. We felt more than ready to defend and very confident in our abilities to skate well and having a fair shot at earning out Olympic spot here. We really wanted to do what we came here to do and earn our spot.”
Now, they must wait.
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It's a long list of rejections from cities across Europe. Oslo and Stockholm are the two high-profile cities that pulled out during the bidding process. Krakow, Poland, and Lviv, Ukraine, also withdrew bids.
Two other areas with potentially strong bids — St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Munich — were rejected by the public in voter referendums. The German rejection was a stinging blow to Bach, who is from Germany. It's also notable that the IOC headquarters are in Switzerland.
Oslo and Stockholm, probably regarded as the preferred venues as the IOC attempted to return the Olympics to traditional European winter venues, pulled out because of costs and politics.
Norwegian and IOC officials also traded public barbs in 2014 about their dissatisfaction with each other.
Details of the IOC's demands upon bid cities for its members — including a cocktail reception with the King of Norway, use of exclusive road lanes, and specific requests for fruit and cakes in hotel rooms — were leaked, and described as “pompousness” by one lawmaker.
A senior IOC official retorted the decision to withdraw Oslo was based on “half-truths and factual inaccuracies.”
Bach acknowledged at the time in a 2014 interview that the Winter Olympics were a tough sell.
“The number of candidates for winter is already very limited by geography,” he said. “Also we can’t forget that this is a challenging time with regard to the world economy.”
Joshua Paul
It's a long list of rejections from cities across Europe. Oslo and Stockholm are the two high-profile cities that pulled out during the bidding process. Krakow, Poland, and Lviv, Ukraine, also withdrew bids.
Two other areas with potentially strong bids — St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Munich — were rejected by the public in voter referendums. The German rejection was a stinging blow to Bach, who is from Germany. It's also notable that the IOC headquarters are in Switzerland.
Oslo and Stockholm, probably regarded as the preferred venues as the IOC attempted to return the Olympics to traditional European winter venues, pulled out because of costs and politics.
Norwegian and IOC officials also traded public barbs in 2014 about their dissatisfaction with each other.
Details of the IOC's demands upon bid cities for its members — including a cocktail reception with the King of Norway, use of exclusive road lanes, and specific requests for fruit and cakes in hotel rooms — were leaked, and described as “pompousness” by one lawmaker.
A senior IOC official retorted the decision to withdraw Oslo was based on “half-truths and factual inaccuracies.”
Bach acknowledged at the time in a 2014 interview that the Winter Olympics were a tough sell.
“The number of candidates for winter is already very limited by geography,” he said. “Also we can’t forget that this is a challenging time with regard to the world economy.”
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The choice for the IOC members came down to two authoritarian governments that did not require any public vote, and also had few constraints on spending: Beijing and Almaty.
Beijing spent more than $40 billion on the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In promoting their proposals, organizers in Almaty at the time said 79% supported the bid. Beijing said 94.8% in China were in favor.
Almaty tried to win the vote, reminding that it was a winter sports city surrounded by mountains and natural snow. It was a dig at Beijing, which has no winter sports tradition and little natural snow in the areas picked for skiing.
Beijing and some IOC members countered that skiers actually prefer artificial snow. The IOC also saw Beijing as a huge winter-sports business opportunity.
Beijing won by four votes, which was described as much closer than expected, in a second attempt using paper ballots. A first attempt at electronic voting was scrapped citing technical issues.
IOC members chose what they believed to be the less risky option, which has not turned out that way.
“It really is a safe choice,” IOC President Bach said at the time. “We know China will deliver on its promises.”
The choice for the IOC members came down to two authoritarian governments that did not require any public vote, and also had few constraints on spending: Beijing and Almaty.
Beijing spent more than $40 billion on the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In promoting their proposals, organizers in Almaty at the time said 79% supported the bid. Beijing said 94.8% in China were in favor.
Almaty tried to win the vote, reminding that it was a winter sports city surrounded by mountains and natural snow. It was a dig at Beijing, which has no winter sports tradition and little natural snow in the areas picked for skiing.
Beijing and some IOC members countered that skiers actually prefer artificial snow. The IOC also saw Beijing as a huge winter-sports business opportunity.
Beijing won by four votes, which was described as much closer than expected, in a second attempt using paper ballots. A first attempt at electronic voting was scrapped citing technical issues.
IOC members chose what they believed to be the less risky option, which has not turned out that way.
“It really is a safe choice,” IOC President Bach said at the time. “We know China will deliver on its promises.”
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Getting down to two candidates — neither the top choices — shocked the IOC. It was part of the reason that the IOC no longer goes through a long bid process to pick host cities. Bach said at the time that the bid process produced too many “losers."
Moreover, it was embarrassing for the IOC to explain why voters turned down holding the Olympics — particularly the smaller Winter Games. The bid process was also soiled by scandals surrounding the awarding of the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, in which IOC member were allegedly bribed for their votes.
The bidding for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games was also hit by scandal.
Under the IOC's new process of choosing venues, the approximately 100 IOC members no longer vote. The choice is made by the leadership headed by Bach. The IOC has already chosen venues for the Olympics through 2032.
They are: 2024 Paris; 2026 Milan-Cortina, Italy; 2028 Los Angeles; 2032 Brisbane, Australia. The only open slot is the 2030 Winter Olympics, in which Sapporo, Japan, seems to be the leading candidate. The IOC has not indicated when that choice will be made.
Bullit Marquez
Getting down to two candidates — neither the top choices — shocked the IOC. It was part of the reason that the IOC no longer goes through a long bid process to pick host cities. Bach said at the time that the bid process produced too many “losers."
Moreover, it was embarrassing for the IOC to explain why voters turned down holding the Olympics — particularly the smaller Winter Games. The bid process was also soiled by scandals surrounding the awarding of the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, in which IOC member were allegedly bribed for their votes.
The bidding for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games was also hit by scandal.
Under the IOC's new process of choosing venues, the approximately 100 IOC members no longer vote. The choice is made by the leadership headed by Bach. The IOC has already chosen venues for the Olympics through 2032.
They are: 2024 Paris; 2026 Milan-Cortina, Italy; 2028 Los Angeles; 2032 Brisbane, Australia. The only open slot is the 2030 Winter Olympics, in which Sapporo, Japan, seems to be the leading candidate. The IOC has not indicated when that choice will be made.
Top US pairs skaters withdraw from nations due to COVID-19
John Locher
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier react after receiving the top score in the pairs free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
John Locher
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier react after receiving the top score in the pairs free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
