An Olympic hockey coach has come forward, admitting to using fake vaccination cards to coach his team at the Beijing Olympics a few years back.
Patrick Fischer, the Swiss ice hockey coach, acknowledged that he had a forged certificate claiming he was vaccinated against COVID-19. This was his way of navigating around China’s stringent travel rules during that time.
According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, Fischer acquired this document via social media and was subsequently confronted with evidence showing he had been fined approximately 39,000 Swiss francs (around $50,000) in 2023 for document forgery. He confessed shortly after being confronted.
In a statement released late Monday, Fischer referred to his actions as a “serious mistake.” He stated that he was very sorry for letting people down, explaining his personal struggle with vaccination while not wanting to disappoint his team at such an important event.
Fischer is recognized as one of the most successful coaches in Swiss ice hockey history. Since taking on the role in 2015, he has led the team in three Olympic Games and secured three silver medals at the World Championships.
It’s worth mentioning that the Swiss team was eliminated in the quarterfinals during the tournament.
During the lead-up to the 2022 Olympics, China had implemented some of the toughest COVID-19 regulations globally. Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer noted that athletes needed to either be vaccinated or face a three-week hotel quarantine before participating.
Switzerland is set to host the World Championships next month. Fischer is already expected to resign, and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation has indicated that they consider the situation resolved.
Fischer, who represented Switzerland in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics, had a career primarily with EV Zug in the Swiss National League A, where his jersey number has since been retired.
