The coach of the Finnish men’s ice hockey team yesterday accused China of not respecting a player’s human rights, saying that Marko Anttila was being kept in COVID-19 isolation for no reason.
Finland head coach Jukka Jalonen made the remark shortly after Germany said it was satisfied with a swift improvement of isolation conditions for their three athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 and are in quarantine.
German team head Dirk Schimmelpfennig on Saturday called conditions for triple Olympic gold medalist Nordic combined skier Eric Frenzel and two other German athletes “unacceptable,” demanding a complete overhaul including bigger and cleaner rooms, Internet access, sports equipment and better food.
Schimmelpfennig yesterday said that organizers had acted quickly following a concerted effort by the team, the ski federation and the International Olympic Committee.
For Finland’s Anttila some issues remain, mainly with regard to the quality of food on offer.
“He is not getting great food and he is a very big guy,” Jalonen said. “He would like to have more energy and better food there as well. Because he doesn’t know what’s going on and what will happen with him. It is like uncertainties so it is a bad thing also mentally.”
Finnish Olympic team doctor Maarit Valtonen said that Anttila had tested positive 18 days ago, but produced several negative results prior to departing for Beijing.
When Anttila arrived in China he tested positive and was immediately taken to an isolation hotel.
“We know that he’s fully healthy and ready to go and that’s why we think that China, for some reason, they won’t respect his human rights and that’s not a great situation,” Jalonen said.
Valtonen said that it is clear now that Anttila, a ninth round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2004 NHL draft, is no longer infectious and that China’s decision to keep him in isolation has more to do with politics than medicine.
“These isolation decisions are not based on medicine or science, it’s more cultural and political decisions,” Voltonen said.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
RSS