Olympics Norovirus Outbreak Postpones Finnish Women’s Hockey Game

An Olympic women’s hockey game scheduled for Thursday has been postponed after more than half the Finnish team is sick or quarantining from norovirus.

Only 10 players appeared at the team’s pregame skate Thursday afternoon, one of whom was later ruled out, bringing the total number of sidelined players to 14.

Finland earned bronze at the 2022 Games in Beijing, and was set to face reigning gold medalists Canada. The game has been rescheduled for Feb. 12.

“There’s a chance that if they would play then it would influence Team Canada and their health as well,” said Finnish coach Tero Lehterä, who also said he learned that players were sick on Tuesday. “I couldn’t risk my players.”

While events are spread throughout several cities in Italy, ice hockey is happening in Milan, which will also stage the opening ceremony on Friday. In a break for organizers, not all athletes have arrived. Most NHL players, who are back in the Olympics for the first time since 2014, won’t get there until Sunday. The men’s tournament begins on Feb. 11.

The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang also had a norovirus outbreak, though only two athletes caught it. More than 260 people were reported infected by the contagious stomach virus that originated with security staff and spread to Olympic committee organizers, venue staff, and cafeteria workers. The government sent 900 military personnel to replace quarantining security workers.

Thursday’s game was scheduled for the secondary Olympic hockey location, Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, not the main venue that has drawn widespread international attention for its delayed construction and ice conditions. Areas of the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena were still in progress on Wednesday as workers hurried to get the venue ready for a Thursday women’s match between Italy and France.

Some teams skated at Santagiulia this week. France men’s captain Pierre-Édouard Bellemare told the AP that the ice was “actually pretty decent quality,” even if it did “feel like you’re on a lake a little bit.”