Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir to return for 2016-17 season

Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are returning to competition, the pair announced Saturday on CBC Sports' Road to the Olympic Games.

"We've decided to return to competition and we are so excited," said Virtue. "I don't think that will come as a surprise to many people."

We still have that fire.- Tessa Virtue

The pair will return for the 2016-17 season, giving them one full season of competition before the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

From two skaters who have done everything in the sport, the motivation to return was very simple.

"I think the biggest motivation is just that we still love the sport." said Moir.

The two have not competed since winning silver in ice dance at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

At the time, Virtue and Moir said "the opportunity to work outside the confines of the competitive rules is really refreshing and should add a new dimension to [their] skating." They skated regularly in performance shows, including Stars on Ice and Medallists on Ice.

But the pair never officially retired, and have been contemplating a return publicly for nearly a year.

"It's certainly on our minds and it's definitely in our sights," Virtue told the London Free Press in May.

When it comes to what they hope to accomplish, however, they have been unequivocal.

"We're not coming back unless it's to become Olympic champions again," Moir told the newspaper. "If we're in, we're in."