Short Trackthe announcement
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The short track Olympic champion has chosen not to participate in the event scheduled in just over two weeks in Poland. "There are too many unknowns and different protocols, I would risk not participating in the world championship event".
Thursday 7 January 2021 5 minutes reading time
It is a very difficult season, that of the short track which has seen almost all the appointments canceled, but which will in fact restart from the European championships scheduled, from 22 to 24 January, on the ice of Gdanks.
In Poland, however, there will be no Arianna Fontana; the Olympic champion of PyeongChang 2018 in the 500 meters, announced the forfeit for the too many risks related to Covid that would endanger participation in the great goal of this year, before betting everything on the Beijing 2022 Games, or the planned world championships from 5 to 7 March in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. “I spent the first days of 2021 reflecting on the 2019/2020 season. I reflected on the situations that have arisen, on the decisions taken and on the path I must take to get to the competitions in the best possible conditions - wrote the Valtellinese on social media - Based on last year and the current situation linked to Covid-19 , I've made some tough decisions to be safe, stay healthy and keep training.
Now that the first race of the season is finally approaching, it's time to make another decision. I waited as long as possible to see if the cases would decrease or if I could clearly see a unified approach in Europe to the pandemic, but it was not clear and so I have to take a step back. My health is the most important resource I can protect, just like everyone else. There are still too many unknowns that revolve around Covid and the different protocols used for all the athletes who will compete in the European Championships.
I made decisions to keep risks under control, while others may have wanted to take more risks. Last season the world championships were canceled; I feel that if I went to Poland for the European Championships, I would jeopardize my participation in the World Championships this season. Should I contract the virus at the European Championships, I would probably not be able to participate in the world championship event because I would have to stay in quarantine in Poland for two weeks, then go to the doctor and for all this period not train properly.
So, even if I would like to fight for my 8th European title, if I have to choose one of the two competitions, I choose the world championships. I know maybe some of you will disagree with my decision and think it's silly, but this is how I want to move forward, so I ask you to understand that we all have our own personal health decisions to make and how I ask you respect my decision, I will respect yours.
I wish good luck to all the skaters who will participate in the European Championship, it will certainly be exciting for me to assist you ”.
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