Team members from Switzerland, Austria and Russia all tested positive, however, Russia's entire bobsleigh team will miss the back-to-back World Cup legs in Sigulda following contact tracing.

"The proper process was applied with an immediate quarantine of the persons concerned, the 'first-contact-persons' were detected as well and national regulations are fully applied," read an IBSF letter seen by insidethegames.

"Due to the accommodation concept of the Russian Bobsleigh Team, it was not possible to exclude any non-first-contact-persons and therefore the whole Russian Bobsleigh Team had to be put into quarantine and therefore cannot participate in both World Cup weeks taking place in Sigulda."

The Latvian resort is hosting back-to-back World Cup events, with racing in the first scheduled for November 20 to 22.

In line with the new IBSF preventative COVID-19 guidelines, all participants were tested before the first training run.

Russian Bobsleigh Federation President Elena Anikina told insidethegames that the organisation had hoped its athletes who have not tested positive for COVID-19 would be able to compete the second World Cup - where bobsleigh racing is set for November 28 and 29 - but that will not be the case.

"Our athletes arrived to Latvia and all had negative tests with them," Anikina said.

"Unfortunately, three athletes from the bobsleigh team after making tests in Sigulda a few days later showed positive results in COVID-19 tests.

"IBSF in accordance with their hygiene concept and in accordance with national regulations on quarantine in Latvia took the decision to exclude our bobsleigh team from two World Cups in Sigulda.

"Our Federation was negotiating with IBSF asking them to allow a few of our bobsleigh athletes - who had negative tests - to compete at the second event if one more test was negative too.

"Unfortunately, we were not allowed.

"The problem is that our bobsleigh team of coaches and athletes were contacting closely with each other during the few days after arriving, and theoretically there is a danger of being infected for any of them.

"We feel sorry but we need to accept the rules and to keep to them.

"We understand that the epidemiological situation in the world is very bad - we all must be careful."

Russia's skeleton athletes remain able to compete, with six on the start lists for the curtain-raiser in Latvia.