Hockey
World Junior Update: A Pause and Cause for Concern
Two Canadian junior players participating in the World Junior selection camp tested positive for Covid.
In just over a month from today, the under-20 World Junior Championship is scheduled to begin. It’s a tournament most every hockey fan is looking forward to, especially with the absence of professional hockey like the NHL since the pandemic threw the traditional schedule into chaos. Unfortunately, for Hockey Canada, COVID-19 is hitting its camps as well and perhaps the key word moving forward when it comes to Team Canada is “scheduled”.
Related: Why a Canadian Division Might Not Solve All The NHL’s Problems
Canadian Positive Tests
This morning, a statement from Hockey Canada announced that they were cancelling the Red and White game previously scheduled for today. The decision to cancel came after two Canadian players tested positive for COVID-19. The two athletes (still unnamed to this point) have since been placed in quarantine at the team hotel in Red Deer and the camp will now temporarily close until broader testing is completed. Before moving on – I sincerely wish both players a speedy and full recovery.
As frustrating as this might be for everyone involved with Team Canada, it is the unfortunate reflection of what is happening in the province of Alberta right now. With two straight days of 1500+ new Covid cases, provincial leaders are expected to make an announcement that will impose new restrictions in an attempt to contain the rapidly spreading virus throughout the province.
Any new restrictions will be implemented just 12 days after the Province laid out plans for a two-week pause that was nothing short of ‘halfway’ effective. The first set of restrictions were heavily criticized as they clearly revealed where the Provinces priorities lie – business or sporting activities that generate revenue can remain open, but everything else is off – like all youth sport.
IIHF Attention?
Politics aside, the IIHF has to be monitoring the situation very closely and with a degree of concern. The first concern is obviously the dramatic increase in cases throughout Alberta. Secondly, any new provincial restrictions will need to be carefully reviewed, along with how long they might be in place?
Logistically speaking, the tournament starts on December 25th but that means teams need to start arriving in Edmonton in the next few weeks. Realistically speaking, if teams and players are arriving from all over the planet then they likely need to arrive before December 11th so they can properly isolate according to the current protocols.
Obviously, there are a ton of moving parts and no easy answers. However, this is a costly venture. Not just to put on – without fans – but also to participate in. Each country is funded differently, and they all have varying sizes of budgets. However, regardless of budgets – will countries want to send a team halfway across the globe if there is any doubt about the event going forth?
Stay tuned as you would think these issues will need to be addressed sooner than later.
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