FIS Ski cancels Beijing Olympic skiing test events due to COVID-19

The International Ski Federation (FIS) said on Friday that due to coronavirus restrictions, all ski test events for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics this season have been cancelled.

Winter Olympics events include the freestyle, snowboard and freeski world championships scheduled to be held at the Olympic site at Yanqinq from February 18 to 28.

Other ski jumping events including the Nordic combined world cup, the Women's Alpine world cup downhill and super-G and the cross country world cup were also cancelled due to pandemic, which were scheduled to be held between late January and mid-March.

According to the FIS president Gian Franco Kasper, "The current second wave of Covid-19 has resulted in very strong travel restrictions that made it virtually impossible to stage international competitions".

The FIS states that it is looking for a new venue for all cancelled events, "Testing of the venues is a requirement to ensure the venues in 2022 will be of the highest possible standard and in the safest environment". However, FIS said they hope to hold as many Olympic test events as possible.