‘We are not allowed to leave our rooms’: Russian figure skaters tested for coronavirus before resuming training

Russian figure skaters are undergoing obligatory coronavirus tests at Novogorsk training camp, which opened its doors to athletes after getting approval from local health officials.

The country’s leading athletes, including Eteri Tutberidze’s competitors, will be allowed to resume training if they test negative for Covid-19, ending a two-month break from the sport.

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“We have arrived in Novogorsk training center. Everyone has their own room and we are not allowed to leave them so far. Food is delivered right to the room. We were tested for coronavirus early in the morning. Tomorrow or after tomorrow we will get results. But so far we are not allowed to get out,” a source familiar with the situation was quoted as saying by TASS.

Skaters were allowed to get back to training following a two-month break after the Russian Sports Ministry eased coronavirus restrictions for professional athletes in accordance with the recommendations of Rospotrendazor (the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing).

Last week, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin ordered six training centers to reopen, including the Novogorsk base and Round Lake center in Moscow Region. Four other training centers approved for training are located in Krasnodar, Stavropol and Crimea.