NHL and League Players Association Boycott 2022 Beijing Olympics
Photo: Kirby Lee / Reuters
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the League Players Association (NHLPA) are planning to refuse to allow athletes to attend the Beijing Olympics. This is reported by journalist Frank Seravalli on his Twitter.
The organizations have come to an agreement and are boycotting the Beijing Winter Games by not allowing hockey players to represent their teams. It is expected that the NHL will soon notify the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of its decision, then the refusal to participate in the competition will be officially announced. According to Ceravalli, such a turn of events could lead to the postponement of the Olympics to 2023.
On December 20, Match TV reported that the NHL leadership refused to let players go to the Beijing Olympics due to an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus infection in the league. It was expected that this decision will be supported by the Players Association – the league's hockey union.
In October, NHL commissioner Bill Daly also admitted that the league could ban hockey players from participating in the Olympics. The functionary also referred to the pandemic.
