Over the past week, more than 800 covid tests have been administered at the Olympic Qualifiers in Nottingham and Ice Hockey UK are pleased to announce there has not been a single positive case.
The covid protocols of the tournament have been overseen by IHUK’s Chief Medical Officer Matt Robbins, Tournament Doctor Marina Chitoni and Mike Hicks, who is a major part of the Organising Committee.
Ice Hockey UK have organised dozens of international tournaments but not one has been as complicated as this taking place during the coronavirus pandemic.
The list has been endless: quarantine rules for teams coming into the country, elite sports players exemptions, hotel room isolation, a screening app for every person entering the building, the sanitising of key areas including team benches and the penalty boxes – and that’s just some of the key areas that came on top of the hundreds of covid tests.
Ice Hockey UK General Secretary, Andy French, said: “On behalf of the federation, I would like to send sincere thanks to the team for their work over the past few weeks.
“Organising any tournament is complicated but this was on a different level. Doctor Matt Robbins has taken the lead of all covid matters and returning zero positive results is a fantastic achievement.”