© Alexander Zemlianichenko/The Associated Press The Canadian Tire National Skating Championships will no longer have live audiences, Skate Canada announced Thursday in a statement. With the escalating situation surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, Skate Canada announced a few adjustments to the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships taking place in Ottawa from Jan. 6-13, 2022. The organization won't allow any live audiences at the event, with fans set to receive refunds, and cancelled the gala scheduled for the final day of the meet. The senior event will run as scheduled, while the junior event will run with changes to the planned schedule set to be made where necessary. "The health and safety of all participants in the Championships is of paramount importance," Skate Canada President Karen Butcher, and CEO Debra Armstrong said in a joint statement.

Source: CBC News December 31, 2021 02:51 UTC