Dusseldorf, Sept 10. (dpa/GNA) – Former Swiss men’s ice hockey national team coach, Patrick Fischer, has been banned for four years by the world governing body IIHF ,for going to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing with a fake coronavirus vaccination certificate.
The IIHF confirmed an according report from Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Thursday. Fischer can not coach a team until 2030. Fischer coached Switzerland since 2015, and led them to three world championship silver medals in 2018, 2024 and 2025.
He wanted to step down after this year’s home worlds in Zurich and Fribourg. Her admitted to the Covid rules violation shortly before the tournament in May, and the Swiss federation parted ways with him before the first face-off after big public pressure.
Fischer said at the time that he was in “an exceptional personal predicament because I did not want to be vaccinated. At the same time I didn’t want to let the team down at the Olympic Games. “Prior to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, I entered China using an invalid COVID-19 vaccination certificate. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, Swiss Olympic (Committee) and those close to me had no knowledge of this,” he said.
The 2022 Games in China took place under strict coronavirus regulations. The Swiss ice hockey federation originally said it was not imposing sanctions because Fischer, was convicted in the case as a private individual in 2023, and has borne the full consequences of his actions.
The NZZ said the German federation approached Fischer, after sacking their coach Harold Kreis in June.
The Germans have since appointed André Rankel as coach.
GNA