MILAN — A women’s Olympic hockey game between Canada and Finland, the debut for both teams at the Milan Cortina Games, was postponed Thursday after members of the Finland team contracted norovirus.
The decision was made after the Finnish team only had 10 players — eight skaters and two goalies — on the ice during a pre-game skate Thursday afternoon at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The team’s other 13 players were quarantined in the athletes’ village, either because they were sick or were exposed to the virus, according to a team representative.
Star defender Jenni Hiirikoski and forward Petra Nieminen were on the ice Thursday. But captain Michelle Karvinen and forward Susanna Tapani were among the top players absent.
Finland’s general manager, Kimmo Oikarinen, would not confirm how many players were actually sick rather than being quarantined for precautionary reasons. He said he could not be sure how many players the team would have healthy when it came time for puck drop, which had been scheduled for 9:10 p.m. local time.
“It’s really hard at the moment,” he said.
The postponement quickly followed, with the game rescheduled for Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m. local time at Milano Rho.
Several organizations made the decision collectively in the interest of health and safety, according to a statement issued by the International Olympic Committee.
“While all stakeholders recognise the disappointment of not playing the game as originally scheduled, this was a responsible and necessary decision that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games and the integrity of the competition,” the statement said.
The Finnish team held a camp in Switzerland before arriving in Milan on Sunday. Finnish coach Tero Lehterä said he learned that some players were sick on Tuesday evening; the team canceled practice on Wednesday.
The norovirus is common but highly contagious, spreading more easily during cold months and often causing gastrointestinal issues.
The news comes on hockey’s first day of what was to be a return to normalcy for the Winter Olympics, four years after COVID-19 restrictions kept families and fans away from the Beijing Games. Ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday, athletes from several sports have been reflecting on the differences between then and now, with fans in attendance and little separation between participants and the general public.
In an unusual scene in 2022, Canada and Russian women’s hockey players had to wear masks during a preliminary round Olympic game due to COVID-19 test processing. Russian players removed their masks after the first two periods after test results showed no one was positive. The Canadians kept their masks on and won 6-1.
Lehterä said most players on his team are getting better, but those who are sick are not healthy enough to play.
“There’s the chance that if I would play them it would influence Team Canada and their health as well,” he said. “But I couldn’t risk my players if they were ill yesterday to play tonight. Because that would be wrong against the individual.”
