RIHF statement concerning the delay of the women's match between ROC and Canada

At the 2022 Olympic Games, the start of the group stage match between the ROC women's ice hockey team and the Canadian women's national team was delayed by one hour.

The decision to postpone the start of the game was made by the management of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in relation to coronavirus testing for players of both teams.

In full accordance with the rules and regulations of the competition, the two teams engaged in testing in the morning (before 09:00 local time). However, no subsequent data from the laboratory had been received by 12:10 - the scheduled start time of the game. President of the IIHF Luc Tardif and the IIHF Legal Director Ashley Ehlert - who were at the stadium - consequently made the decision to push back the match's start time by one hour. Tardif informed representatives of both teams of his decision.

As a consequence of the decision having quickly been made, ROC players were informed later than the Canadian players and were already on the ice. ROC obeyed the organisers' requirements and returned to the dressing room.

Together with the IIHF, representatives of both teams applied additional health measures by agreeing to play in masks in order to resolve the issue of staging the game.

Following the completion of the second period, the match's organisers received all of the test results, after which the IIHF offered for the teams to play without masks during the ensuing third stanza. ROC decided to play without masks, while Canada continued wearing personal protective equipment.