Žan Košir, a three-time Olympic snowboarding medalist and one of Slovenia’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers, tested positive for the coronavirus without symptoms after arriving in China on Thursday, according to the Slovenian Olympic Committee.
Košir, 37, is isolating until producing two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart while symptom-free, per the Beijing Olympic playbook.
Košir was selected to carry Slovenia’s flag into the Feb. 4 Opening Ceremony, along with Alpine skier Ilka Stuhec.
His event, the parallel giant slalom, is Feb. 8.
Košir won a silver or bronze medal in the last three Olympic parallel snowboarding events -- the slalom and giant slalom in 2014 and the giant slalom in 2018. The slalom was only on the Olympic program in 2014.
Košir was fourth in last season’s World Cup standings and has a best World Cup finish of eighth this season.
In China, he can become the oldest Olympic snowboarding medalist. He shares the record of three Olympic snowboarding medals with Americans Shaun White, Jamie Anderson and the retired Kelly Clark, according to Olympedia.org.
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