Submitted and Written By Graham Barton
When I first thought about writing this article I had mixed thoughts. I contemplated who wanted to go back? Who would be interested? However, when I asked a few people would you want to know they all replied: “That would be fascinating”
There were times when it looked like the best decision was to walk away from sport and hunker down with our families. However, the volunteers, coaches, support staff, families, provinces, clubs, sport partners and of course the athletes endured and we not only made it to the Games but competed at an international level even with the constant interrupted training and competition schedules.
It was the final prep phase before the 2020 Olympic Trials. Our athletes were returning to Florida. It was January. This phase was to fine tune a multiyear effort toward the Tokyo Olympic Games not only for each athlete vying for selection but also for the team behind the team organizing training camps, selection trials, international competition and team registration for Tokyo. Little did we know what was on the horizon not only for our international teams but also for Provincial programs, club programs and of course our premier domestic event, the National Championships scheduled for Mooney’s Bay, Ottawa later that summer.
In December 2024 there was news about an outbreak of a flu like virus in Wuhan, China but our focus was on the daily training and planning for the upcoming season.
Even in mid-January while the cases increased there were only a handful of cases outside China. It wasn’t until mid-February that the World Health Organization named it the Corona-19 Virus and even at that time there were only 15 cases in the entire USA and none in Florida, so any fear of an impending global pandemic was not considered a concern at that time.
It wasn’t until the last week of February when Italy became a hotspot for the virus, and the government essentially quarantined the country that thoughts of where this was going became a global concern and a risk to the upcoming Olympics. Rumors of the Olympics being cancelled had already started.
That same week CKC started to brainstorm and formed a Covid Task Force to review the daily updates, and communication from all the various health organizations, governments and of course sport governing bodies. The group consisted of senior staff, volunteer leadership as well as medical, media and legal support. From the outset we had virtual meetings in whole or in part daily. We had to be agile, proactive, reactive and logical each step of the way while always prioritizing the health and safety of all. Each day new information and misinformation needed to be evaluated to determine the risks, requirements and of course appropriate next steps.
On February 28 the International Canoe Federation released a statement essentially acknowledging the severe disruption to sporting events around the world but to date the canoeing program had not been impacted. Potential changing travel restrictions could change this in the very near future. CKC also drafted a similar message to its members that same day. However, things were changing so fast only a few days later the cancellations and postponements started to roll in.
The near future was less than two weeks away. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a Global Pandemic.
The CKC Covid task force had already started work on contingency plans for athletes training in the United States and other international locations to return home. On March 14 the joint ACA and CKC Olympic Trials in Gainesville, Georgia were cancelled. On March 16 the Canadian Government announced it was closing the border.
It was like a Mash Unit under fire. Sprint athletes and coaching staff quickly packed up and got on the road while slalom athletes returned from their training camp in France. In Florida a few of us stayed behind to close the accommodation units and facilitate the transport of our boats and equipment back to Canada. The world of quarantine and extreme safety measures along with a natural fear of the unknown was to follow.
We all know what came next. A flurry of contradictory information, misinformation and understandable requests from many of our members as to what are the restrictions. What can I do? And as many of you know the guidance and regulations varied from Province to Province and amongst local health authorities. There was no down time for the Covid Task Force as creating and communicating Covid guidelines, staying up to date on cancellations and modifying logistics and selection documents in the hope that maybe next week or next month we could return to normal training and competition was a fluid and ever-changing environment. In 2020 there were over 30 modifications to selection criteria and numerous changes to logistics, policies and guidelines.
On March 24th the Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021. On April 8th, the World Cups and the Junior and U23 World Championships were cancelled and in May the National Championships were cancelled. In a matter of two months, it all became about regrouping and planning for 2021.
Most of the Spring, Summer and Fall, ongoing work by the Covid Task force and Senior Staff centred around information, guidelines and a review of the changing scope and breadth of the Pandemic. Our clubs were hit hard as member revenue disappeared. Insurance became an issue. Provinces were pitching in to understand the challenges and establish their own local guidelines for a hopeful return to paddling. A plan for a return to sport needed to be established. CKC developed return to sport guidelines which was shared by Own the Podium with other National Sport governing bodies.
Exceptions for athletes training for Tokyo created some confusion and tension with clubs and Provinces whose athletes were also anxious to get back on the water. Initial return to paddling was 2M distance and only steady paddling no intervals permitted. Some small group training on a regional basis was beginning to emerge. Crew boats were possible later in the summer on a regional basis. We had a virtual Nationals in September 2020.
By August some competition returns under specific guidelines on a regional basis but travelling from one Province to another was still restricted. While things seemed to be improving in the late summer and early Fall, cancellations and postponements were still the norm. The Canada Games were postponed to 2022 in September of 2020. While there were some positive signs, moving around the country was still restricted by regional quarantine requirements, thus making National Team activities only on the local level.
Unfortunately, thoughts of the virus waning to the point of returning to normality were short lived as spikes throughout the Fall and going into the winter required a strategic approach to allow our athletes to train in a bubble environment with the ongoing hope that we would be able to compete in 2021. Going to the USA or to Europe was not an option as global restrictions remained in effect. Throughout the Fall we focussed our search on the west coast. After a search of possible venues, we were fortunate to find an international school just north of Victoria on Lake Shawnigan. Working with the school and the local health authorities we were authorized to establish a training centre bubble. Lake Shawnigan was a beautiful lake as you can see by the photo below and it made the restrictive conditions, and the cool weather seem less onerous. Here is an excerpt from communication with the team in the Fall of 2020:
“We have been working hard to nail down details which in these times is always a struggle but as I mentioned in my last email, we have been able to secure a site on Vancouver Island to extend our on-water training through to December.
I think I can say at this point that we can no longer plan as if sometime soon things will go to normal. We must plan with a mindset that we are going to the Olympics in a Pandemic. With that there may be risk and that risk must be weighed against the benefit. To date we have been an example in the sport community. We have not gone to the extent of a full time bubble (rowers are not going home for Christmas). I believe family is important but as we plan these next several months, we may have to accept the reality that we will have forgo some of the flexible components and accept that we will be away from home a lot if we want to succeed in Tokyo. Of course, each day will require another assessment, perhaps another adjustment and change. This will be the nature of doing business. It is difficult but necessary……
Covid 19 Risk
- Vancouver Island is a low-risk environment. Yesterday there were 2 cases in the Victoria area and one case in central Vancouver Island. We will be in a smaller community in the southern central region.
- We are limited to 50 people at the St. Johns Academy. It will be like your training centre Covid Protocols to minimize risk.
- Coaches will stay separately from the team to address a positive case on behalf of the team.
- The flight is low risk, but it is a risk just as it is if you go into a grocery store. Follow all protocols including distancing, masks, washing hands, etc. then this risk should be minimal. The worst part is wearing the mask for that long.
Quarantining on return
- Currently this only applies to Nova Scotia athletes. I understand that this is not a preference, but we tried to look at all the options, and, in the end, this is a cost you will have to weigh. We will provide the Quarantine logistics at the Homewood Suites, Dartmouth and arrange all the logistics as if it is a normal training camp. One of these weeks is a recovery week. If you can get on the water, then you will be able to get on the water as per the usual protocols. So, for one week of some compromised training, we felt the benefits of an additional month of full time on water training in BC is worth it……..
The team was a microcosm of the rest of society when it came to reaction to the Pandemic and the removal of many freedoms we were accustomed to. There was fear, denial, as well as compliance to the many rules required to maintain our bubble. Testing prior to departure, testing on arrival, vaccination requirements, testing weekly as well as masking, cleaning of equipment, maintaining social distance, asymptomatic attestations, etc.
The daily routine of early morning paddles, mid-morning paddle or weights or run and then an afternoon on water workout chipped away at the isolation that many felt in the early days of the pandemic.
We were not immune though when it was discovered that one of our own had tested positive. It raised the concern level and a return to even more strict isolation, quarantine and health and safety measures. The local health authority was amazing. We weathered the storm and returned to the daily grind.
My new words during the pandemic were “Cohort, Node and Bubble” each having subtle definitions defined by CKC and External organizations to address the need to isolate and quarantine to permit training and competition during the return to sport phase. In the Fall and Winter, we worked tirelessly behind the scenes planning the conditions for our training camps, Olympic Trials and our National Championships. An excellent Return to Competition document that included risk mitigation was again shared with our sporting partners through Own the Podium. Both events were to be run under cohort conditions which meant limiting the number of people (50) at the venue at any one time. Onsite rules and local regulations required us to run the event with a skeleton crew.
As we got closer to Olympic Trials, some countries had upticks in cases and on March 4, 2021, the COPAC Olympic Qualification event was cancelled. This kicked in the ICF contingency criteria which allocated the Olympic quotas based on the results achieved at the 2019 World Championships. Many countries including Canada was not pleased with this as there were other options that would have been fairer to the athletes and more consistent with the objectives of Continental Qualification and the IOC charter but alas our protests fell on deaf ears. We had to march on and adapt.
One month out from our Trials further changes were required to our selection documents, planning and logistics. Will it ever end? Well, no, at least not yet. Despite the recommendation by the ICF Chief Medical Officer to cancel the World Cups the ICF Board decided to go ahead with the events. After long deliberation, an assessment of the risks and to ensure that our selected athletes remained healthy for the Games it was CKC’s difficult decision not to attend the World Cups. Going to the Games without any high-level competition was not ideal but it was the right decision for the health of our athletes and staff.
And so it goes, shifting to the final phase of training, selection was behind us. It was the best preparation we could do under the circumstances. It was now time to compete in a Pandemic Olympics. I think I can say on behalf of all the staff and the Covid Task Force that a shift to final preparation and logistical compliance with the Tokyo Organizing Committee seemed simple compared to the previous 18 months. A sequence of tests prior to departure regular tests on arrival and throughout the Games were the norm. Eating in individual cubicles, mandatory masking except in your rooms except briefly for a Team picture. In the end it was a successful Games, it was a long and rough road to get there but I am very proud of all who helped us along the way. Of course there were many, many twists and turns along the way that have not been mentioned here but it was the team behind the team that helped make it possible. To them on behalf of the athletes, Thank you!
