Finland women’s hockey team postpones first game after team suffers a norovirus outbreak

The Finnish women’s hockey team is battling a norovirus outbreak, which forced the postponement of Thursday’s game between Finland and Canada.

A spokesman for the Finnish Ice Hockey Association told The Associated Press that 13 players had been infected or quarantined.

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“While all stakeholders recognize the disappointment of not playing the match as originally planned, this is a responsible and necessary decision that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games and the integrity of the competition,” Olympic officials announced.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus often called a “stomach virus.” This causes vomiting and diarrhea and can lead to loss of dehydration. Norovirus may pose a particular risk to athletes because of its potential to spread in close contact environments like locker rooms.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, most people with norovirus illness recover within a few days; but they remain contagious a few days later.

Finland first noticed something was wrong on Tuesday evening. On Thursday, the team held a practice and at the end, only 10 healthy players remained.

“Most (of the sick players) are getting better but are not healthy enough to play,” Finnish coach Tero Lehterä told the AP. “And there’s a chance that if we played, it could influence Team Canada and its health as well.”

The Finnish players tried to keep their morale up. “It’s definitely not pleasant. But we’re trying to focus one day at a time,” Finnish captain Jenni Hiirikoski told the AP. “The biggest thing has been how we tolerate different things. I think we try to help each other, whatever it is and how it goes. So you just have to stay calm and focused.”

Finland has always had a competitive women’s hockey team. The country won the bronze medal in the last two Winter Olympics.

The Finland-Canada match has been postponed to February 12 at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.