The organizing committee of the Beijing Olympics expressed regret at the refusal of the National Hockey League (NHL) to participate in the Games, which are scheduled for February 2022. This was announced by the deputy head of the office of epidemiological control of the organizing committee of the Games Huang Chun, writes TASS.
He also stressed that the organizing committee is making efforts to prevent an outbreak of coronavirus during the Olympics. “We guarantee the safety of the Games for the health of athletes and other participants,” said Huang Chun.
The NHL’s refusal to release hockey players to the Games became known on December 22. The decision was made against the backdrop of an increased number of cases of coronavirus infection in the league.
As noted by the Olympic ice hockey champion and former defender of the Russian national team Darius Kasparaitis, this decision was a blow to older athletes, who probably lost the chance to compete in the Olympic Games. At the same time, he added that the chances of the Russian national team to win the hockey tournament of the Games in Beijing have increased.
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