Five-time skiathlon world champion Heidi Weng contracted COVID-19 and is under question for the Olympics

Two members of the Norwegian Olympic cross-country skiing team, Heidi Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvaa, tested positive for coronavirus, reported the Norwegian Ski Association.

“This is a terrible situation for the whole team”, said national team doctor Oeystein Andersen. “It is clear that all our athletes have done what they can to avoid getting infected. To get such a message when you are here asymptomatic is of course very surprising”, added the doctor.

The Norwegian national team has postponed its flight to Beijing from January 27 to January 31.

Heidi Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvaa’s participation in the Olympics remains under question. They will be quarantined until February 3, and the Beijing Cross-Country Skiing Races will start on February 5.

“We have a flight scheduled to Beijing on January 31. Then we have to think about backup options. The curling team will probably take off on February 4, so there is a possibility. But time is running out and at some point, it will be too late”, said the Norwegian Olympic cross-country skiing team’s manager.

The 30-year-old Heidi Weng is a bronze medalist in the 2014 Sochi skiathlon, five-time world champion and two-time World Cup winner.

The Beijing Games will be held from February 4 to 20.