IIHF: 7 more people at cancelled World Juniors test positive for COVID-19

Sportsnet's Mark Spector joins Sportsnet Central to discuss the cancelation of the World Juniors and what initially led to the decision.

One day after cancelling the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship due to COVID-19, the International Ice Hockey Federation says seven more people involved with the tournament have tested positive.

The new positive cases:

– 1 member of Team Canada
– 1 member of Team Russia
– 1 member of Team Germany
– 1 member of Team Slovakia
– 2 members of Team Sweden
– 1 on-ice game official

It’s unknown if the team members listed above are players or staff. Everyone who has tested positive will need to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days before being allowed to return to their home countries.

The IIHF cancelled the tournament Wednesday after only three days of competition because three games involving six teams were forfeited due to positive test results. IIHF president Luc Tardiff said attempts will be made to play the tournament later in the year, but with the evolving nature of the pandemic, no concrete plans have been put in place yet.

“We came up against an opponent that was not on the ice, but was bigger than all of us,” Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said following the cancellation.

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