OTTAWA -- Olympic silver medallists Patrick Chan and ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada are skipping the world figure skating championships in Japan this month.
Chan has won the last three world titles, but is uncertain about continuing to compete. Virtue and Moir are two-time world winners and took the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Chan and Virtue and Moir also led Canada to silver in the inaugural team event at the Sochi Olympics.
Chan was beaten by Yuzuru Hanyu at Sochi.
Olympian Kevin Reynolds, who was 15th at the games, will lead Canada's three-man singles team at the event in Saitama from March 24-30.
Virtue and Moir are expected to retire. They came second to Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White at Sochi.
Both of Canada's women from the Sochi Games are entered in the worlds: Kaetlyn Osmond, 13th at Sochi, and Gabrielle Daleman, 17th.
Other Canadian Olympians who will compete at Saitama are Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who wound up seventh in pairs; Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch, who were fifth; and Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers, who came in 14th.
Ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, seventh at Sochi, and Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam, who finished 18th, will compete at the worlds.
