A global ice hockey governing body canceled the remainder of its world junior championship due to concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, 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 its 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.
The IIHF noted that its decision had also been 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 suspended or canceled amid the pandemic, which has disrupted most major leagues around the world since late 2019. The US National Hockey League, which is among the largest professional hockey associations in the world, declared a pause on games earlier this month due to the ongoing health crisis, repeating the decision it took last year. Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League also halted its playoff games early in 2020, although it has managed to ensure its 2020-2021 season went ahead relatively undisrupted.