Switzerland fire ice hockey coach who entered China on false Covid-19 vaccine certificate

Switzerland have fired the ice hockey coach who 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, head coach Patrick Fischer said he made a “serious mistake in this matter” by travelling to Beijing with the Switzerland men’s team using false paperwork.

The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation initially supported him, saying the case was closed because he had admitted to his mistake. But that changed Wednesday with news of his dismissal.

“The case is legally closed but has triggered a public debate about values and trust, which the federation takes very seriously,” federation president Urs Kessler said in a statement.

“From today’s perspective, our initial assessment – that the matter was ‌concluded – ⁠was too short-sighted. This is about values and respect, that are fundamental to Swiss Ice Hockey and which Patrick Fischer did not uphold in 2022.”

Fischer had said before he was fired that “I’m very sorry if I’ve disappointed people with this situation.”