"In some ways, the goals Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris set for the Milan Cortina Olympics are the same ones he set in his three previous appearances at the Games. Landing when it matters, landing how I want to, landing my hardest tricks and walking away with some hardware, he said. But this time, McMorris listed one other element that no Olympian on the ground four years ago in China will ever take for granted again: To enjoy it with my friends."
"The last time the Winter Olympians convened, the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging. The Games were forced into sterilized bubbles with athletes facing daily tests; in most cases, at checkpoints where workers stuck swabs up their noses. Every swab brought with it the specter of a positive test, with could mean days or weeks of quarantine that would wipe out an athlete's ability to compete."
Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris aims to land his hardest tricks, secure hardware and enjoy the Games with friends after pandemic-era restrictions. The previous Winter Olympics operated under COVID-19 sterilized bubbles, daily tests and checkpoints where workers administered nasal swabs. Positive tests could trigger days or weeks of quarantine and eliminate athletes’ chances to compete. McMorris described his Beijing stay as like a trip to sports prison. Mikaela Shiffrin welcomed the chance to compete without tests every 24 hours. Short track speedskater Andrew Heo said returning to a real, live Olympics was a major motivator. Action-sports athletes will compete in alpine resort towns like Livigno.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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