Olympic snowboard champion Kummer chooses quarantine over vaccine
Sochi gold medallist opts to travel to Beijing early to enter protocol before Games
Olympic snowboard champion Patrizia Kummer will head to the Beijing Games early to spend three weeks in quarantine because she isn't vaccinated against the coronavirus, she said Tuesday.
Chinese authorities require unvaccinated Olympians to enter quarantine upon arrival if they don't have a valid medical exemption. Kummer, a Swiss snowboarder who won gold in the parallel giant slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games, is scheduled to arrive this week. The Olympics start on Feb. 4.
"After my personal decision not to be vaccinated, quarantine is the logical consequence," Kummer said in a statement issued by Swiss Ski. "I respect the regulations of the authorities and the (International Olympic Committee)."
Kummer doesn't yet have a confirmed spot on the Swiss Olympic roster, but Swiss Ski said she meets its selection criteria. She is ranked 17th in the slalom World Cup standings.
