But there will be no Russian representatives in the women’s bobsleigh in Innsbruck-Igls after two competitors contracted COVID-19 and two others came into contact with them.

Elena Nikitina, Yulia Kanakina, Alena Frolova, Alexander Tretiakov, Nikita Tregubov and Daniil Romanov are due to represent Russia in the skeleton tomorrow.

Tretiakov was the Sochi 2014 Olympic champion and came second in last season's men's overall World Cup standings.

Nikitina is the reigning women's world champion.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, the skeleton team tested negative on Sunday (December 6) following their arrival at the Austrian resort and then again yesterday.

The Russian men's and women's bobsleigh teams were forced to miss the November stages of the World Cup, which were held in Sigulda in Latvia, after going into quarantine.

But the Russian Bobsleigh Federation is hopeful two crews will line up in the two-man bobsleigh doubleheader in Austria, with races due to be staged on Saturday and Sunday (December 12 and 13).

Austrian Janine Flock and Latvian Martins Dukurs will be looking to make it three wins from three in the skeleton after back-to-back victories in Sigulda.

Canadian skeleton racer Elisabeth Maier is meanwhile set to make her first appearance on the World Cup circuit since giving birth.

The 26-year-old endured six days of labour in an Austrian hospital and underwent an emergency C-section in December last year.

"Had there not been an opportunity for a C-section and modern medicine, I would have been someone that probably would've succumbed to childbirth death," said Maier, a bronze medallist at the 2015 IBSF World Championships.

On competing in Austria, Maier added: "It's going to be hard.

"I know I'm not exactly where I need to be fighting for medals quite yet.

"I need to get some more consistency and some more feeling on my sled."

Double Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich, of Germany, will be chasing a fifth straight victory in the two-man bobsleigh event after two wins each with Thorsten Margis and Alexander Schüller.

German men have been dominant in the event, claiming seven of the 12 medals on offer in the opening four legs.

Germany have also triumphed in the two-woman competitions, with Mariama Jamanka and Vanessa Mark then Laura Nolte and Leonie Fiebig triumphing in Latvia.

The Women's Monobob World Series is also set to resume in Innsbruck after making its debut in Winterberg last week, with Russia's Nadezhda Sergeeva claiming victory.

The discipline - which will make its Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 - will be taking place in parallel to the IBSF World Cup for the first time.