On January 2, the head coach of the Russian youth ice hockey team, Sergei Zubov, told the details of how the team was removed from a flight in Canada.
“The flight attendants were initially very attentive to restrictions. In Canada, everything is strict with masks. Therefore, we decided to take all passengers to the waiting room. Then our luggage was unloaded. After that, several Air Canada employees came out, with whom the head of our delegation spoke. The Czechs stayed in Calgary, and we got permission for the next flight, “Sport-Express quotes him.
According to the coach, the company’s employees checked everything and did not reveal any violations on the part of the team.
“Thank you for orienting yourself and finding seats for the next flight. Nothing changed there, the masks were also strictly checked. We got to Toronto, and from there to Frankfurt. The guys had a difficult time. The MFM was canceled, but a lot of effort was put in. The joy of returning home influenced the children, so it happened, ”Zubov added.
Earlier that day, the forward of CSKA and the Russian youth hockey team Vladimir Grudinin expressed the opinion that the situation around the removal of the team’s players from the plane in Canada is greatly exaggerated.
According to him, Canada is very serious about the rules for wearing medical masks. The athlete said that even if the mask was lowered a little, the stewards immediately approached and asked him to put it back on.
On the eve of the players of the youth teams of Russia and the Czech Republic were not allowed to fly from Calgary to Frankfurt. There were also athletes from Finland and Sweden on the flight. Representatives of the Canadian airline took all four teams out of the plane after incidents of smoking and alcohol, and later decided to admit only Finns and Swedes to the flight.
Explanations of the sources that told about the reasons for the removal of the command from the plane vary. So, the manager of the Czech youth national hockey team Otakar Cerny said that shortly before the departure, the Russians were allegedly in a bar, and the athletes of the Czech national team were taken out of the plane, due to the fact that they were wearing almost the same sweatshirts as the Russian hockey players.
At the same time, the Izvestia source assured that the main claims were brought against the Czech side. Another interlocutor noted that the team was removed due to violation of the rules by Zubov, who lit a cigarette in his sleeve on the way to the plane.
At the same time, the coach himself, in a commentary to Sport-Express, pointed out that the main complaint was that some players had worn masks incorrectly. He clarified that he had not smoked for three years.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IHF) is currently collecting additional information about the incident with the Russian youth team and intends to assess the actions of the athletes. They noted that they would transfer information to the Ethics Council of the IFC.
The World Youth Championship began in Canada on December 26, and was scheduled to end on January 6. However, on December 29, it became known that the competition was canceled due to outbreaks of coronavirus in several teams, including the Russian one.
On December 30, the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Luc Tardiff, suggested holding the tournament in June or July. He stressed that the issue of holding MFM-2022 is important for young players, for their career, as well as for fans.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
