Ice dancers Nikolaj Sorensen and Laurence Fournier Beaudry have been named to Canada's figure skating team for next month's world championships in Montreal.
Sorensen and Fournier Beaudry withdrew from the Canadian championship in Calgary last month after USA Today reported an American figure skating coach and former skater accused Sorensen of raping her in Hartford, Conn., in 2012.
USA Today also reported a complaint has been filed with both Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
The allegations have not been proven in court. Sorensen called the allegations false in an Instagram post.
Sorensen and Beaudry returned for the Four Continents in Shanghai, China, where they finished second behind fellow Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier in the ice dance competition that ended Feb. 4.
Gilles and Poirier, also the reigning Canadian ice dance champions, headline the team for the world championships, March 18-24 at Montreal's Bell Centre along with Four Continents pairs winners Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha will also compete in ice dance, while Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud and Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier round out Canada's pairs contingent.
In men’s competition, newly crowned Canadian champion Wesley Chiu will make his senior world championships debut and will be joined by 2022 Olympian Roman Sadovsky.
Madeline Schizas, another 2022 Olympian will be Canada’s sole competitor in the women’s field.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2024.
The Canadian Press
