Latvian national team manager Kristaps Mauriņš has claimed it will be "almost impossible" to hold a full schedule of luge events ©FIL

Latvian national team manager Kristaps Mauriņš has claimed it will be "almost impossible" to hold a full schedule of luge events during the upcoming season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Luge Federation (FIL) said it was still planning for a season of 10 competitions, despite travel restrictions and other measures imposed by Governments to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Mauriņš said the focus should instead be on staging the pre-homologation and the World Cup in China, a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

"I believe that it is almost impossible to arrange the pre-Olympic season as it was originally planned before COVID-19, because we cannot predict the development of the virus and the associated travel restrictions," the Latvian said. 

The FIL is planning to hold a full World Cup schedule ©Getty Images
The FIL is planning to hold a full World Cup schedule ©Getty Images

"In my opinion, one of the main goals of this season is to enable pre-homologation and a World Cup in China to test the newly built track before the Beijing Olympics. 

"We must find a solution to provide a safe environment for all those who are travelling to China. 

"We are patiently waiting for the FIL to publish the final schedule to see what the season might look like."

The Chinese Government has banned all international events for the remainder of this year because of the pandemic, with Beijing 2022 test events the only exception to the rule.

The FIL World Cup season is due to open as usual at Innsbruck in Austria on November 28 and 29, followed by races the next three weekends in German cities - Altenberg, Oberhof and Winterberg.