Canadian hockey players refuse to take to the ice

The Canadian women’s ice hockey team refused to take the ice for nearly an hour at the Beijing Winter Games while they waited for the Russian Olympic Committee’s COVID-19 test results.

Canada went on to register a routine 6-1 win after players took the ice wearing masks due to “safety and security concerns” but the contest was far from uneventful as it got off to a chaotic and confusing start.

“Russia’s results from this morning weren’t back in yet,” said Canada forward Natalie Spooner.

“I know in the past few days they’ve had a few positives and we just wanted to make sure their results came back and we were safe to play.”

Six members of the ROC squad had been placed in isolation last week after testing positive for the virus.

Although athletes have operated under strict COVID-19 protocols in Beijing, they have not had to wear masks during competition.

Canada improved to 3-0 to sit top of Group A while the ROC fell to 1-2.

In other Olympics news…

Switzerland’s Beat Feuz won the men’s downhill, with 41-year-old Frenchman Johan Clarey taking silver to become the oldest Olympic medallist in alpine skiing.

Feuz produced a superb run to clock one minute 42.69 seconds and edge out four-time Olympian Clarey by 0.1secs.

The 34 year old Swiss was a two-time medallist at Pyeongchang 2018 but this was his first Olympic gold.

Clarey replaced Bode Miller as the oldest Olympic medallist in Alpine skiing. Miller won bronze in super-G at the 2014 Sochi Games aged 36.

Speed skater Ireen Wust of the Netherlands made history in Beijing when she claimed her sixth career gold medal, making her the first Olympian to win gold at five different editions of the Winter Games.

The 35-year-old swept round the Beijing oval to retain her title in the 1,500 metres by just under half a second.

Wust will also skate in the women’s 1000 metres.

Slovenia won the mixed team Olympic ski jumping gold but the big talking point of the event’s first appearance at the Games was a series of disqualifications that hit the favourites and meant world champions Germany did not even make the final.

-Reuters