At the same time as the Norwegian U20 national team was in Denmark and participated in a tournament, the matches for the A national teams for men and women and the U18 national team were canceled.

The A national team was going to Switzerland – on a trip national team manager Petter Thoresen expressed that he wanted to complete.

The U20 national team completed the tournament – in what ended with Belarus advancing to the A-World Cup in Russia in 2023.

During the trip, the players were frequently tested. It was only after returning to Norway that Norwegian national team players tested positive.

Several infected

All players tested negative on arrival in Norway after the championship, but in retrospect, two players have been diagnosed with infection, one after PCR testing and one after fastest.

– We lived under a very strict infection control regime for 14 days and stayed at the hotel, at the arena and on the bus. No one has had the opportunity to move freely anywhere else. It is not easy to be 18 or 19 years old and live under some conditions for two weeks, but they coped very well. Therefore, it is very sad that these cases of infection come to light now, says the team’s manager, Roger Harli to TV 2.

He confirms that infection has also been detected in other participating nations.

– I fear that the infection has come during a fight. In any case, it is only during a match where we have lowered our guard, says Harli.

Confirms positive test

Sparta’s medical officer, Ørjan Kittilsen, confirms that one of their players has tested positive.

– I can confirm that one of our players has tested positive for home tests after returning from the U20 collection in Denmark. We are awaiting answers to PCR tests, he says.

He will not say anything about what the club must do until possibly also the PCR test is positive.

– He has been on an unorganized ice training, but it is unclear at this time which players define as close contact. We will have a close dialogue with the municipality when the answer from the PCR test is available, says Kittilsen.

The current player has gone into isolation, and his family into self-imposed isolation.

TV 2 knows that the other player who has been confirmed infected went straight home, and he has not been to training after the gathering in Denmark. In his club, the players have tested negative after his return.

The Ice Hockey Association has asked everyone who was with the U20 squad to Denmark to test themselves.

Bad memories

On Tuesday, it became known that 14 cases of infection have been registered among players and support staff in Lillehammer.

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the matches that were to be played on 28 and 30 December – Lillehammer-Storhamar and Storhamar-Lillehammer have been postponed.

The last two seasons of the Fjordkraft league have been interrupted without anyone being named Norwegian champion, due to layoffs.

The last days’ news about cases of infection in Norwegian hockey probably evokes some good memories in many from the same time last year.

After the match Sparta Star was played on December 30 last year, many were confirmed infected.

“There are many indications that the match between Sparta and Stjernen in the Sparta Amphitheater on December 30 brought with it a lot of infection. Now 23 people in Stjernen are also infected. The same is one of the main referees who judged the match. Manglerud / Star played a match against Stjernen on 2 January and now six players and three in the support staff of the Oslo club are infected. Frisk has also discovered infection in people associated with the team and in Storhamar the entire team and a number of others are in quarantine “, Sarpsborg municipality wrote at the time.

Well, Norwegian hockey fans fear that a Norwegian champion will not be named this season either.