Grand Prix Of Figure Skating Final In Japan To Be Canceled Over Omicron Threat - Reports

The International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix Final in Japan will be canceled to halt the spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant, the media reported on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2021) The International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix Final in Japan will be canceled to halt the spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant, the media reported on Thursday.

This year, the Grand Prix Final was scheduled to take place in Osaka from December 9-11 and serve as a tune-up for the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in February, according to the� Japanese Kyodo news agency.

The Grand Prix Final is the second-most prestigious annual sports event after the world championships. The figure skating competition was also canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan confirmed its first Omicron variant case on Tuesday, and has already barred foreign arrivals for all shorter-term visa holders. Japanese citizens and residents returning from abroad must spend up to ten days of their two-week quarantine period in a government-established facility.

The Omicron variant was first identified in South Africa last week, and the World Health Organization has classified it as a variant of concern, as its high number of mutations in spike protein might make it more transmissible and dangerous than all previous strains.