Beijing 2022: NHL says Winter Olympics ‘no longer feasible’ for its players because of Covid-19 surge
- National Hockey League releases statement confirming it will not send players to China for men’s ice hockey competition
- NHL commissioner blames ‘profound disruption’ to regular-season schedule caused by sharp rise in coronavirus cases
The National Hockey League said on Wednesday it will not send its players to compete in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics after the regular season schedule was disrupted because of a surge in Covid-19 cases.
“Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL’s regular-season schedule caused by recent Covid-related events – 50 games already have been postponed through December 23 – Olympic participation is no longer feasible,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
The NHL agreed last September to pause its regular season so the world’s top players could compete in Beijing but could withdraw from the agreement if Covid-19 disruptions forced games to be rescheduled during the Olympics window.
With Covid-19 spreading through team locker rooms, the NHL, in an attempt to combat the outbreak, brought its Christmas break forward to shut down operations from Wednesday through to December 27.
The NHL had until January 10 to withdraw from the February 4-20 Olympics without financial penalty.
The decision comes as a huge disappointment for players, who had negotiated a return to the Olympics into the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).