The members of the female lions do not blame the restaurant trip.
Tero Lehterä made it clear that he thinks the discussion about the restaurant trip is pointless. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
Norovirus is rampant in the Finnish women’s national ice hockey team at the Milan–Cortina Olympics. Due to illness, even the team’s tournament opener against Canada had to be postponed.
When the news of the illness came out, a video was brought up in the Finnish media and in Sweden as well, where the team is celebrating in a cheerful atmosphere in a restaurant in Milan. The team sings karaoke in a close atmosphere.
Head coach of the Women’s Lions Tero Lehterä referred to reporting with a glove.
– We’ve had a lot of fun with this matter, where the virus was obtained and what it was obtained. We have also put in Chatgpt what options there are. Mikki was not offered by Chatgpt, Lehterä said.
– This makes me laugh. I know how it works. After all, it sells ads and clicks, and that’s the function of that magazine. I can’t make those decisions, and I can’t dictate what you write.
Norovirus in Beijing too?
Striker Petra Nieminen reminded that connecting a restaurant and karaoke trip to illness is speculation.
– The world is quite big. Quite a few athletes come to the same place from different countries. We cannot know where it came from. There are always speculations, and we let them live there, Nieminen said.
Petra Nieminen was involved in Thursday’s training. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
Finland’s general manager Kimmo Oikarinen said that it is difficult to take a position on the matter.
– No one can possibly know where the disease has started to spread. It could have come from a visit to the city or a shopping trip. Everyone knows the quality of the disease. I don’t take a stand on such things.
The previous Olympics were held in 2022 in Beijing, China.
– In the previous tournament, there was a corona, and there the group was isolated, but the reality was certainly that there was also noro on the move, and because of that the group was isolated, Nieminen said.
– Maybe it just wasn’t brought up that there was a naughty person there.
Head cold
The players assured their calmness.
– Well, it’s not the first time that a group is sick on a trip. Let’s try to stay calm and make an impact on the things we can, the defender Jenni Hiirikoski quoth.
Also according to Nieminen, “these things happen in every tournament”.
– We just do what we can. Let’s isolate, if there is something, and be a little more careful with hand hygiene.
– The situation in the team was by no means chaotic.
