2022 Beijing Olympics – Ice Hockey – China Men’s Training – National Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China – February 7, 2022. Jieke Kailiaossi of China with teammates during a team photo and practice. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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BEIJING, Feb 8 (Reuters) – About two months before the Beijing Olympics were due to open alarm bells were going off at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) headquarters.
It had become clear a hugely overmatched China men’s ice hockey team was about to walk into a National Hockey League buzzsaw in China.
There seemed only two paths ahead, both leading to embarrassment for the Games hosts.
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Option one: wave the white flag, concede they did not meet the necessary competitive standards, take their humbling lumps and move on.
Option two: play and take the beatings, which would likely result in a string of pummelings at the hands of geopolitical rivals…
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