Ice Hockey – Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics – Women’s Gold Medal Final Match – Canada v USA – Gangneung Hockey Centre, Gangneung, South Korea – February 22, 2018 – Brianna Decker of U.S. and Marie-Philip Poulin of Canada in action. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Register
Jan 24 (Reuters) – Fans may be disappointed by the National Hockey League pulling out of the Olympics but the decision was no doubt welcomed by Chinese officials who were braced for humiliating thrashings by their sporting and geo-political rivals.
Such were fears the Chinese men’s team might be so outclassed it would prove an embarrassment to the sport and the hosts that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considered pulling China from the event in favour of Norway.
However, a surge of COVID-19 in NHL locker rooms causing the postponement of more than 100 games triggered an Olympic pull-out clause for the league throwing China a face-saving…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at "ice hockey" – Google News…