Ice Hockey – Euro Hockey Tour – Channel One Cup – Czech Republic vs. Sweden – CSKA Arena, Moscow, Russia – 19 December 2021 Sweden’s Linus Hultström with teammates REUTERS / Alexander Fedorov

STOCKHOLM, December 22 (Reuters) – With NHL players to miss the Winter Olympics in Beijing due to covid-19 concerns, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) is making preparations to enable a strong team of home-based players to chase their gold in one of the country’s favorite sports.

ESPN reported on Tuesday that the American National Hockey League will not send its players to compete in Beijing as the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the corona virus is spreading globally. Read more

Olympic champions 1994 and 2006, the Swedes have won three silver and four bronze medals over 21 previous Olympics, and the domestic league does not intend to let the lack of NHL players trace their ambitions in Beijing.

“We are prepared for a situation where NHL players are not participating in the Olympics. It has been a possible scenario for some time, and we are prepared,” Johan Hemline, head of SHL hockey, told Reuters. an interview.

“During the Olympics, 34 SHL matches are planned, and the majority of them will continue as planned. My current opinion is that 10 or 15 of our matches will be moved,” he continued.

Sweden is home to one of the most competitive leagues outside the NHL with many imported players, and it is likely that Swedish clubs will need to release them to the other 11 nations that will participate in the Olympic tournament.

“All sporting directors have a chance to move matches when they think they will miss more players than their opponents. We are working on minor adjustments internally and the changes will be made official in January, but it is under control.”

The regular season in the 14-team league runs from September to March, with playoffs in March and April, with all but two teams based in the southern half of the country.

The Swedish government announced restrictions to try to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant that will affect fans who participate in matches in the coming weeks, but the league continues as usual.

“The pandemic is unpredictable. The players and our medical teams are prepared, they use fast tests more often now and the clubs have guidelines on how to deal with any positive cases that may arise,” said Hemlin.

“Otherwise, it’s about checking out alternative days to play and working on ways to communicate and make decisions. I hope we get to see a good and entertaining Olympic tournament, even if the NHL players can’t participate,” he added.

Reporting by Philip O’Connor Editing by Christian Radnedge

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