The Finnish women's national team is at risk of missing its first match at the 2026 Olympic Games due to a viral illness. Former hockey player Minttu Tuominen commented on the situation in the team, Yle.fi reports.
Four women's hockey players from the Finnish national team contracted norovirus on the eve of the 2026 Olympics. The players and their roommates self-isolated in the Olympic Village.
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The Finnish national team also organized a cleaning operation to prevent the spread of norovirus. On Wednesday, February 4, the Finnish national team's training session, which was supposed to take place at the Ro Arena in Milan, was canceled due to the illness of the hockey players.
The Finnish women's national team's first match is scheduled for Thursday, February 5, against Canada. However, due to illness, Finland risks missing the opening match of the 2026 Olympics if it cannot register the required 15+2 hockey players to qualify for the match.
“If we get to the point where the Lionesses can't play and we have to give up, that's bad. If the first game is postponed, we won't be able to gain any common experience,” former Finnish hockey player Minttu Tuominen commented on the situation in the team.
“This is not the news you want to hear, but athletes are used to anything happening. I've seen it all over the years, so I believe the players are focusing on what they can control. If [the disease] can be overcome quickly, it can even bring the team together. Hopefully, it will pass quickly and we can laugh about it,” the former hockey player added.
According to Tuominen, this is not the first time that Finland has faced illness on the eve of a match against Canada. At one of the Four Nations Tournaments with Tuominen, both teams went to the same restaurant for breakfast on the eve of the game against Canada. Eleven players caught a stomach infection there. Compared to the morning meeting, at least three players were unable to play, some of whom started to feel sick after the warm-up. However, by the end of the tournament, all the players had recovered.
“It depends on how much you eat and how much you can keep yourself together afterwards. Fortunately, food is available 24/7 in the Olympic Village, and there are doctors there to help. Even the days between matches help you recover. In the case of the Lionesses, it's also good that all the group members are progressing. ” The women's competition will be held between ten teams, divided into groups A and B. However, in group A (Canada, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Czech Republic) all five teams will advance to the playoffs, while in group B (Japan, Germany, Sweden, Italy, France) only three will advance. “, concluded Tuominen.
Swedish Olympic Committee spokesman Fredrik Julamo previously said in an interview with Aftonbladet that the disease had spread to the French and American teams.
“The situation is quite complicated now if more than one team gets sick. If that happens, will the matches be canceled, postponed, or what will happen next? It's difficult to assess right now,” Tuominen noted.
Finland's first women's ice hockey match at the Olympics will be against Canada. The game will start on Thursday, February 5, at 10:10 p.m. Kyiv time.