Travel restrictions amid Omicron variant force cancellation of Winter Universiade

More than 100 Canadian university athletes competing in the Winter Universiade were days away from boarding their flights to Switzerland.

The curling teams were scheduled to travel first, later this week. The hockey teams were next.

But the impact of the new COVID-19 variant is being felt in sports, and on Monday morning, the Winter Universiade, which features the top university athletes from more than 50 countries, was cancelled less than two weeks before the Games in Lucerne were scheduled to open.

"It's the largest multi-sport games for students in the world, second largest multi-sport organization to the Olympics, so it's pretty devastating," said Lisette Johnson-Stapley, U Sports' chief sport officer. "My heart goes out to all the student athletes, and the coaches who have been working so hard."

Canada was to send 102 student athletes, in nine teams across seven sports, to the Universiade, which was set to open Dec. 11. The Canadian contingent, including coaches and mission staff members, numbered 144. Johnson-Stapley said every participant received the bad news via an early-morning email Monday from the Lucerne organizing committee.

"We understand the difficult decision to cancel such a prestigious and important event," Johnson-Stapley said. "The health and safety of all participants is our primary concern."

Canada's women's junior field hockey team, meanwhile, is stranded in Potchefstroom, South Africa, with no immediate flights home, after their World Cup, set to open Dec. 5, was postponed.

Nora Struchtrup, a 19-year-old forward from Victoria, said the players first learned of the new Omicron variant over breakfast last Thursday. By the end of the day, the World Cup had been cancelled. Their coach Patrick Tshutshani gathered them in after practice to deliver the news.

"We were pretty sad," Struchtrup said. "But we very much understand the decision, so no part of us ever doubted that it was the right decision."

"Pretty devastated. I was pretty gutted," added Stefani Sajko, a 21-year-old defender from Victoria. "Obviously, we've all been working really hard towards this for a while."

The team has been in contact with Canada's Minister for Sport, Pascale St-Onge, as well as the Canadian High Commission in Pretoria and the global field hockey federation, to help facilitate travel home.

"They're really disappointed but they're doing great and they're going to come back," St-Onge told CBC News.

But the new variant, which may be more transmissible, has prompted several countries including Canada to introduce travel restrictions focused on countries in southern Africa where community spread is known. The players don't know when they'll be boarding flights home, nor quarantine requirements they might face upon arrival.

The players, who arrived in Potchefstroom — about 120 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg — on Nov. 23, said they feel safe where they're staying at North-West University. They're being housed in small cottages and eat their meals together in a team "bubble." Every player is fully vaccinated; it was a team requirement to travel.