Virtue and Moir won't compete this year, but not retiring
Two-time Olympic medalists aren't ruling out future competition
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the 2010 Olympic ice dance gold medallists, will not compete this season but aren't yet retiring.
The Canadians won silver in Sochi in February and skipped the world championships the next month, with their retirement widely expected. Skate Canada said in a statement Monday that "they are not ruling out future competitions."
Virtue, from London, Ont., and Moir, from Ilderton, Ont., became the first North Americans to win ice dance gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. They finished behind training American partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White at the 2014 Games.
The 27-year-old Moir and 25-year-old Virtue have been competing together since 1997. They still plan on participating in ice shows over the coming months, including Art On Ice in Switzerland this winter as well as Stars on Ice this spring in Canada.
"It will be really exciting to push ourselves in new directions, and have more creative freedom with these show programs," Moir said in a statement. "We love competing, but the opportunity to work outside the confines of the competitive rules is really refreshing and should add a new dimension to our skating."