Who advances if Winter Olympics athletes catch COVID? It depends

Rules on runners-up moving to later rounds remain unclear for many events

Marita Kramer of Austria won a women's large hill ski jump event in Germany on Dec. 11. She will miss the Beijing Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test. © Reuters

TAKASHI NISHIHORI, Nikkei staff writer

February 4, 2022 04:35 JST

TOKYO -- As COVID-19 cases crop up at the Beijing Winter Olympics ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, the rules for some events remain unclear on whether other athletes can advance when infected competitors withdraw.

Austrian ski jumper Marita Kramer, seen as a contender for a gold medal, was removed from the national team after she had a second positive test on Tuesday. Germany's Andreas Wellinger, who won the men's normal hill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, and Russian figure skater Mikhail Kolyada, a 2018 silver medalist in the team event, both will not participate.