Athletes have only been able to train at home during the pandemic, with many having to improvise in their house or garden. 

The team returned to training in Calgary on July 6, but sessions are limited to a maximum of six athletes and two coaches. 

"So far, the training conditions have been anything but ideal," Staudinger said. 

"We are athletically lagging behind in the preparation for the season.

"Every person who enters the training centre or the offices is measured daily for fever and a detailed health questionnaire must be filled in. 

"We have already had a case where an athlete was not allowed to train because his father currently was suffered from a cough."

Staudinger, a German Olympic bronze medallist who has been in charge of the Canadian luge team since 2007, also disclosed how ongoing travel restrictions were impacting training. 

"Our coach Duncan Kennedy is unable to travel from the United States to Canada," he said.

"We currently have to work without the technician and coach who was hired in spring. 

"On the other hand, even the head coach of the United States, Robert Fegg, who lives in Calgary, cannot travel to Lake Placid to join his team."

Whistler in Canada is set to host the Luge World Championships in February 2021, although the pandemic may still yet affect the event.