By Duncan Mackay

Kim_Yu_Na_in_flowing_dressMarch 30 - Kim Yu-Na has been forced to abandon plans to represent Pyeongchang 2018 at SportAccord in London next week after the World Figure Skating Championships were re-arranged.


The Olympic champion was due to be the star of the Korean delegation as the race for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics begins to heat up with Pyeongchang due to give presentations along with rivals Annecy and Munich.

It was being billed as a duel between Kim and Germany's Katarina Witt, the 1984 and 1988 Olympic skating champion, who is now the chair of Munich's bid.

But it has now been put on ice because Kim is preparing to compete in the re-arranged World Championships, which were due to be held in Tokyo last week but have now been moved to Moscow following the earthquake and tsunami that have devastated Japan.

The event in the Russian capital has been rescheduled to start on April 25 and Kim has had to abandon plans to travel to London for SportAccord, which is due to open next Sunday (April 3).

Kim has not competed since last year's World Championships in Turin but hopes to regain the title she won in 2009.

"I am not sure if I can bring myself back to top shape, but I will stay focused on training until the World Championships," she said.

Kim revealed part of her new short programme "Giselle" to the public at the ice rink at Taeneung Training Centre during practice earlier this month.

"I skated parts of the new short programme so that you can get a glimpse of it," she said.

Pyeongchang officials are now hoping that Kim will make her international debut for them when they give a presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members at Lausanne on May 17.

The IOC is due to choose the host city at its Session in Durban on July 6.

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