Olympics Cancelation Becoming More Probable as COVID Cases Rise

With news of the NHL shutting down three teams due to the rising COVID numbers breaking earlier today, speculation is abound about whether or not it makes sense for the NHL to allow their players to represent their respective countries in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. Set to be held in Beijing, the games have already been tarnished in some eyes by even going to China in the first place, as it is where the COVID-19 outbreak originated. While nothing official has come in yet, there is reason for all the speculation as despite the league's aggressive approach towards vaccination, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette explains that their efforts have been mostly in vain:

This effort hasn’t been very effective. There are 75 players on the COVID-19 protocol list and more than 140 NHLers have tested positive since the season began. That’s a staggering number given the precautions in place and the fact we’re dealing with young, healthy athletes. We’re looking at an infection rate of about 17 per cent at a time when the rate among the general population in the U.S. is around 15.4 per cent and the rate in Canada is about 4.8 per cent.

It's concerning to think that not only are NHL players testing positive, but they are testing positive at a much higher rate than the general population. This serves as evidence as not only should the league not be sending any of their players to Beijing, but maybe they shouldn't be playing at all if we're considering the long-term health of everyone involved. Hickey explains further:

The ideal solution would be for the players’ association to recognize that going to Beijing during a growing pandemic is not a good idea. I can understand the appeal of an Olympic medal for a player who’s not going to win a Stanley Cup — hello, Carey Price — but this is not a time to take a risk.

More to the point, it’s not a time to hold an Olympics.

It's hard to argue that point, and although both the players and fans will be upset by the news, if the Olympics are indeed canceled, it will be for good reason.