Ice hockey coach admits using false Covid-19 vaccine certificate to enter China for Olympics
Swiss Patrick Fischer was fined US$50,000 by local authorities in 2023 for document forgery after buying the fake paperwork on social media
Swiss ice hockey coach Patrick Fischer has admitted he used a certificate falsely claiming he had been vaccinated against Covid-19 to get around China’s travel restrictions for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
In a statement late Monday, Fischer said he made a “serious mistake in this matter” by travelling to Beijing with the Switzerland men’s team using false paperwork.
“I’m very sorry if I’ve disappointed people with this situation,” Fischer said. “I was in an extraordinary personal crisis because I didn’t want to be vaccinated. At the same time I certainly didn’t want to let my team down at the Olympic Games.”
Swiss public broadcaster SRF said it confronted Fischer with documents showing he was fined nearly 39,000 Swiss francs (US$50,000) by local authorities in 2023 for document forgery after buying the certificate on social media.
SRF said he went public with his admission shortly after.
Switzerland hosts the world championships next month. Fischer was already due to step down after that and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation said it considers the matter closed.