NHL pulls out of Beijing Winter Olympics, will not send players

NHL pulls out of Beijing Winter Olympics, will not send players

Olympics Ice Hockey

Beijing Winter Olympics suffers yet another severe blow. Following the diplomatic boycott of the USA, UK, Canada and Australia, the National Hockey League has decided to opt-out of the Winter Games. The league had a deadline of January 10 to do so without any financial penalty and after much deliberations, they have made the decision to pull out of the marquee event.

In a statement, the league commissioner Gary Bettman asserts that they understand the sentiments of the players to represent their country in a ‘best on best’ tournament. Yet there is not much they can do to ease out the situation for them. Bettman adds that the administration has waited “as long as possible to make this decision”.

“The National Hockey League respects and admires the desire of NHL Players to represent their countries and participate in a ‘best on best’ tournament. Accordingly, we have waited as long as possible to make this decision while exploring every available option to enable our Players to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games,” Bettman said in a statement.

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This will be the second straight time that NHL players skipped Winter Olympics. They didn’t partake in the 2018 PyeongChang Games due to travel costs and league schedules.

NHL commissioner reveals the reason behind pulling out of Beijing Winter Olympics

Olympics Ice Hockey Beijing Winter Olympics
Olympics Ice Hockey

While the boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics has been primarily due to the humanitarian crisis pertaining in China, NHL clarified their reason for pulling the plug on their players. The league commissioner Bettman shares that the league has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the globe. And hence it is not “feasible” on their part to allow their players to attend the Games.

The emergent Omicron variant has rocked the league. A total of 50 games have already been postponed this month and the health protocols have been enhanced. “Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL’s regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events — 50 games already have been postponed through Dec. 23 — Olympic participation is no longer feasible.“

“We certainly acknowledge and appreciate the efforts made by the International Olympic Committee, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the Beijing Organizing Committee to host NHL Players but current circumstances have made it impossible for us to proceed despite everyone’s best efforts. We look forward to Olympic participation in 2026,” he adds.

Bettman goes on to add that the league’s priority is to ensure the safe competition of the season. And with the health protocols getting stringent again due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, the governing body has decided to use the window for the Winter Olympics to accommodate the postponed games.

“Our focus and goal have been and must remain to responsibly and safely complete the entirety of the NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs in a timely manner. Therefore, with stringent health protocols once again in place, we will begin utilizing available dates during the Feb. 6-22 window (originally contemplated to accommodate Olympic participation) to reschedule games that have been, or may yet be, postponed.”

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