A global ice hockey governing body canceled the remainder of its world junior championship due to concerns over Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, after infections among players led to three forfeited games in just two days.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced the move on Wednesday, stating that the rest of the junior tournament in Edmonton, Canada would be scrapped on the recommendation of the body’s medical advisers.
“The IIHF Council has decided that, due to the ongoing spread of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship will be canceled to ensure the health and safety of all participants,” it said.
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The IIHF noted that its decision was also prompted by a positive coronavirus test for a player on the Russian national team, which followed two infections on the US team and another on the Czech Republic’s. The cases led to quarantine requirements for the latter two teams, which each resulted in losses by default. Another forfeited match would have “compromised” the “sportive integrity of the event,” the federation added.
The junior hockey tournament is far from the first sporting event to be canceled or suspended amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disrupted most major leagues around the world since it kicked off in late 2019. The US-based National Hockey League (NHL), among the largest professional hockey associations, declared a pause on games earlier this month due to the ongoing health crisis, repeating a similar decision made last year. Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) also halted its playoff games early last year, though has aimed to keep its 2020-2021 season as normal as possible.
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