Canadian junior athletes stuck in South Africa book new flight home
Canada's junior women's field hockey team has a tentative flight home booked after they became stranded in South Africa before a tournament.
The under-21 team arrived in the country in late November to take part in the field hockey Junior World Cup. However, the tournament was cancelled soon after the team arrived and flights to Canada from some southern African countries were halted due to the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant across the globe.
On Wednesday, Field Hockey Canada said the team would no longer be stuck in limbo and a flight had been arranged out of Johannesburg for Dec. 8.
"We understand that the situation with Omicron is fluid and things can change quickly," said Kevin Underhill, communications manager for Field Hockey Canada.
However, Underhill says the organization is "optimistic" that players and staff will be travelling back to Canada next week.
One player's mom, Sandra Sajko, told CTV News that she was relieved the team had a flight booked.
Sajko says that Field Hockey Canada has been very responsive to the situation and that the organization is looking for earlier flights if available. She believes that the current scheduled flight will transfer through Germany since direct flights to Canada are still barred.
Exact rules for testing and quarantining before and after the trip have not been determined yet, according to Field Hockey Canada.
"Rules are rapidly changing and we're working daily with the Canadian government and our travel partners at Boulevard Travel to make sure that we are following all the rules and regulations," said Underhill.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.