(Reuters) – The United States were forced to forfeit their preliminary game against Switzerland on Tuesday at the World Junior Championship after two of their players tested positive for COVID-19, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said.
The two players were placed in quarantine and it was not immediately clear whether the U.S. would be cleared to compete in their next preliminary game against Sweden on Wednesday.
“We’re extremely disappointed, especially for our players,” junior national team General Manager John Vanbiesbrouck said in a statement. “We’re operating an ever-changing landscape and that’s very challenging.
“We’ve followed the tournament protocol from the outset and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our players have the opportunity to compete at the World Junior Championship.”
The forfeit will be counted as a 1-0 victory for Switzerland.
The IIHF last week called off its women’s under-18 world championship for a second straight year, along with all of its other January tournaments, citing concern over the coronavirus pandemic but moved forward with the men’s juniors.
The move prompted outrage among prominent women’s sport figures including Olympic gold medallist Kendall Coyne Schofield and tennis legend Billie Jean King.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
