Multi-medal winning ice dance pair, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir last night announced their retirement from competition. (S Moir-Twitter)

Canadian Olympians: One denied, two retire

Gold medal ice-dance pair “stepping away” from the sport

After 22 years and countless international medals and awards, Olympic gold medal ice dance pair Tessa Virtue, 30, and Scott Moir, 32, announced late last night that they are retiring from competition.

Their chemistry and skill at their final Olympic appearance at Pyeongchang in 2018, resulted in a stunning performance that captured hearts around the world and earned them another gold.  It was their fifth Olympic medal, having won the ice dance gold before a Canadian audience in 2010 in Vancouver and a silver in Sochi, as well as team silver medals at Pyeongchang and at Sochi.

They had been performing in the Stars on Ice tour earlier this year, but had not competed in any event after Pyeongchang. They will be skating in a professional tour called “Rock the Rink” which begins on October 5 in British Columbia and ends in Newfoundland at the end of November.

Virtue-Moir, Pyeongchang ice dance: YouTube -Olympic

Olympic Bobsleigh Champion, release bid denied.

As for three-time Olympic bobsleigh champion, Kaillie Humphries, a judge ruled on Tuesday against her effort to be released from the Canadian team.

A written release is needed in order for an athlete to compete for a foreign country. This is to prevent athletes from taking advantage of one country’s training programme, usually at public expense, and then competing for another.

Kaillie Humphries celebrates after a bronze-medal-winning final heat during the women’s two-person bobsled final at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018. Her partner was Phylicia George. Her bid to be released from Team Canada and compete for the U.S was set back by a judge’s ruling this week (Wong Maye-E/AP/The Canadian Press)

She had recently married an American and had hoped to compete for the U.S  following allegations of mistreatment while on the Canadian team. Her initial complaint against Bobsleigh and Skeleton Canada, the sport’s governing body in this country was filed a year ago. In it she alleged she had been verbally and emotionally abused by her former coach during the 2017-18 season and had taken last season off while awaiting the results of the sports body investigation.

Humphries later filed a $45 million dollar lawsuit against Bobsleigh Canada.  The suit claimed the body was blocking her release from the Canadian team and had breached its contract relating to athlete and coach code of conduct.

Bobsleigh Canada’s investigation was completed with the decision finally coming just days before the hearing before the judge this past Monday. It found no evidence of harassment.

Humphries still plans to attend a U.S. team push trials this week as a guest.

A Bobsleigh Canada spokesperson said after the judge’s decision that Humphries is still welcome to compete for Canada.

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