Two Norwegian TV-crew members tested positive for Covid-19, sending the entire Swedish Tour de Ski team into quarantine. Several other national teams are also affected.

Updates in progress 

The Swedish Tour de Ski team was staying in the same hotel as two TV-crew members from the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK who tested positive for Covid-19. 

When the Swedish national team physician was informed about the situation, he put the entire team in quarantine. 

“We are now moving our entire team to different hotels to minimize the risk of infection. None of our skiers have been in contact with the Covid-positive crew members, and we currently consider it fairly unlikely that we have been infected. But we choose to increase the measures we take to prevent infection. This includes scaling down our new year’s celebration plans, but we will stay in the race unless the situation changes,” says Jan Wall, the Swedish national team physician in a press release Friday afternoon. 

Several other Tour de Ski teams are also staying at the hotel where the two Covid-infected TV production crew members where staying. Teams include France, USA, Finland, Switzerland and Russia. 

Unprofessional and irresponsible 
The Swedish racers immediately got an icky feeling about the hotel in Oberstdorf. National team veteran Calle Halfvarsson is upset about the lax handling of the infection risk. 

“Nobody wants to contract Covid-19, especially those of us who are here to perform and rely on our bodies being healthy in or job. We are diligent about washing hands and using hand sanitizers, but I feel that offering buffet style meals at hotels is irresponsible,” Halfvarsson says to Expressen.  

According to the Oberstdorf organizing committee, two TV production crew members have tested positive for Covid-19. All of their close connections are quarantined, but so far, no athletes or ski team staff members are on the close connections list or have tested positive. 

Two days prior to the start of the Tour de Ski, an athlete in the Finnish Tour de Ski team tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Switzerland.

The Tour carries on
Today’s stage 3 of the Tour de Ski featured 15-kilometer and 10-kilometer skate mass start races for men and women, respectively.

Tomorrow, Tour de Ski continues in Oberstdorf. Stage 4 features start sprint races for men and women 

Check out the Tour de Ski 2021/22 day-by-day schedule and ProXCskiing.com’s predictions for the overall stage race: Who Will Win Tour de Ski? 

Curious about where to watch Tour de Ski in your area? We got you covered! 

FACTS: Tour de Ski 2021/22 

• Tour de Ski 2021/22 starts in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on December 28 and concludes in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on January 4. 
• The race consists of six stages in eight days. Here are all the Tour de Ski details and the day-by-day schedule
• Tour de Ski 2021/22 is the 16th edition of the brutal stage race. These are the winners from the previous 15 Tour de Ski events. 
• The overall winners get 400 World Cup points for the Tour de Ski, which consists of six stages in eight days. Stage winners get 50 World Cup points. Accordingly, there are potentially 700 World Cup points for winning every stage of the Tour de Ski, which would determine the overall World Cup for the season.