The Timing Is Brutal

With the emergence of the Omicron variant in the battle against COVID-19 across the world, one had to figure that a few events would be affected at some point. In saying this, it was announced on Monday that FISU was cancelling the 2021 Lucerne Universiade after Switzerland implemented new travel restrictions that would prevent people from certain countries from flying into the European nation after the new variant strain of the virus had already been detected in the country. I can't fault the government for taking swift action in protecting its citizens in terms of public health measures, but this is absolutely devastating for the athletes who were set to arrive in two weeks. As it stands, this edition of the Universiade will not be played with 2023's Universiade Games in Lake Placid, New York already on the horizon.

"In the face of travel restrictions being imposed in Switzerland and all around the world, we have had no other choice but to cancel the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade. This decision was made with a very heavy heart. So many of my fellow Swiss university sports colleagues had already given so much, for so long to this event. But the new travel restrictions mean that staging the event has now ben made impossible," FISU Acting President Leonz Eder said in a statement.

"On behalf of FISU, I would like to offer our solidarity and sincere gratitude to the organising committee of Lucerne 2021 and all the partners who have been working so hard to provide a magical Alpine moment. FISU is also deeply saddened for the delegations from National University Sports Federations from all around the world who had been looking forward to Lucerne 2021."

That sound you hear is a long, audible sigh of disappointment.

We're two weeks from the event that was supposed to take place in Lucerne, Switzerland. This is the second time the Games will be taken from the Swiss city after the original dates for the Games, January 21-31, were cancelled due to the Swiss government locking down their country following a previous pandemic outbreak. Because of the changes in policies for those athletes flying into Switzerland, there isn't enough time for the teams and officials to adjust their schedules to adhere to the Swiss policy of a ten-day quarantine, rendering those people ineligible to participate in their events.

With Lake Placid one year away as it's set for January 2023, the decision to push the competition dates back again was not what the FISU organizers wanted to do, so they've officially cancelled the 30th Universiade Games for good.

My heart goes out to all the athletes who were getting set to compete from countries around the world. Let's not forget that Estonia was sending a men's hockey team for the first time to the Universiade Games and their first game was to be against Canada on December 10. While this gives Estonia an extra 14 months to prepare for their men's hockey debut, it also means that an entire class of players who would have been the first to represent Estonia on the international stage lose that honour through no fault of their own.

It's been a while since I uttered these words out loud, but we're not out of the woods yet. There are still pockets of people who choose to remain unvaccinated despite the benefits of doing so greatly outweighing any perceived negatives, and we're seeing variants like the Omicron variant popping up because the virus is adapting and evolving right before our very eyes thanks to those pockets of people who offer the least resistance. As we see more and more players in the NHL, AHL, and CHL affected by the virus as well, now is not the time for complacency, but, rather, renewed vigor in our fight against COVID-19. Use your head, and please get vaccinated or get the booster if you're already vaccinated.

There are a pile of Canadian university athletes set to make their way over to Lucerne, and I'm absolutely crushed for each and every one of these people who were going to compete for the maple leaf rather than just their schools. For those athletes who are in their fourth or fifth year of eligibility, this opportunity won't be available ever again, and it's that realization that makes me sad for these athletes. They were literally within two weeks of the biggest sporting opportunity of their careers, and now it's gone.

Being that this is a hockey blog, I am hopeful that Hockey Canada does the right thing and sends all of the players that were named for the men's and women's hockey teams the jerseys they would have worn had they landed in Lucerne. They deserve to be honoured as they were set to make Canada proud, so let's make this right by getting them their jerseys. For a few thousand dollars in jersey costs, Hockey Canada, you can create a ton of goodwill towards the program with this gesture.

Hockey players, if you do receive your jersey, please send in photos of you in it! I want to feature you on HBIC if Hockey Canada does the right thing here! You may not get to compete for the country at the Universiade Games, but we can still be proud that you were selected as one of Canada's best players playing at the university level! All photos can be sent here, and I'll get them up on HBIC ASAP!

It will be a much quieter December here on HBIC as there won't be daily updates from the 30th Universiade Games to report, and just writing that sentence has me pretty glum for this holiday season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!