Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron will not defend their ice dance title at March’s world figure skating championships, with the French federation citing an inability to properly prepare amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Papadakis and Cizeron, who both contracted the virus in July and recovered, are four-time world champions and 2018 Olympic silver medalists behind the now-retired Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada.
The French couple last competed at the January 2020 European Championships, meaning they could go more than 18 months between events if they do not compete again until next season.