Cross-country skier Philip Lock is disappointed he won’t be competing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Kazan, Russia next January, although he was hesitant to go, given that country’s ongoing hostilities against Ukraine.
Special Olympics Canada announced last week it was withdrawing the Canadian team from the event. That was followed on the weekend by an all-out cancellation of the event.
“I know there’s a sense of disappointment across the whole team,” said Lock. “I have been pretty concerned about all this.”
Lock was to compete in cross-country skiing and it would have been his second time appearing at the world championships, having won two silver medals at the 2013 event in PyeongChang, South Korea.
This is the third time the Special Olympics World Winter Games, typically held every two years, has been bumped.
The international multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities was originally to be held in Östersund, Sweden in 2021, but financial concerns prompted its move to the city in southwest Russia.
The event was pushed to January 2022, but concerns over the pandemic led to another year-long delay.
Nordic team coach Ann Scully said she’s happy with the decision, although whether it will move to another host country is not yet known.
The past two years have been filled with interruptions, she added. Extra precautions were taken during the pandemic to protect the athletes, many of whom are immunocompromised.
The team is the oldest one yet, Scully said, given the series of delays. The athletes initially qualified during the national games in Thunder Bay in 2020.
“We weren’t able to train real hard until August,” said the retired teacher. “I’m disappointed for all the athletes.”
