In one day, several cases of coronavirus infection were detected in two clubs of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) at once. This information has already been officially confirmed by Avangard Omsk and CSKA Moscow.
At first, the media reported that more than 10 players of Avangard, who arrived at the pre-season training camp in Balashikha on July 15, passed positive tests for COVID-19. Some time later, the general manager of the club, Alexei Volkov, confirmed the worst fears. It turned out that during the next check, the disease was detected in 20 people - both hockey players and other club employees.
“They are all isolated, most of them have no pronounced symptoms. I would like to note that such tests can be considered confirmed only after an examination conducted by Rospotrebnadzor. The condition of all team members is monitored by the medical service. For those who tested negative, additional testing will be organized as soon as possible, ”Volkov said in a statement published on the Avangard official website.
From 4 to 9 August, Avangard was supposed to take part in the friendly tournament Sochi Hockey Open, and on August 15, the first control match with Moscow Dynamo was scheduled. After a meeting with the coaching staff, the team decided to abandon the trip to Sochi so as not to jeopardize the training process, which will have to be changed, and, accordingly, better prepare for the start of the season.
“We are very sorry, but we had to make such a decision for the safety of the team in a difficult epidemiological situation. Sochi has excellent conditions, a beautiful palace, worthy rivals. We know how badly our fans wanted to see the first matches of Avangard in the offseason ... We hope that this step will find understanding among the organizers of the tournament in Sochi and its participants, "Volkov added.
The names of the players who passed the positive tests were not disclosed. It is worth noting that on July 16, it became known about the coronavirus disease of the striker Sergei Shumakov. The disease was asymptomatic, but he was isolated from the rest of the team and did not take part in the training camp.
Avangard has repeatedly emphasized that the club complies with all security measures, hockey players go to the Balashikha Arena and live in the nearest hotel.
Sochi, the organizer of the Sochi Hockey Open, was sympathetic to the situation and wished their colleagues a speedy recovery. In the near future it will be known which team will replace Omsk.
Soon after the unpleasant news from Avangard, it became known that seven CSKA players also fell ill with coronavirus. The club noted that an accurate diagnosis will be made after an examination by Rospotrebnadzor.
“At the moment the disease is asymptomatic, all athletes are isolated and are in close contact with the medical staff of the club. In the near future, CSKA will hold the next scheduled testing of all hockey players and team personnel, ”the press service of the Muscovites said.
Igor Nikitin's ward is in Moscow, but on July 25 they were supposed to go to the training camp in the Nizhny Novgorod region. On August 3, the army team was supposed to play a friendly match with Torpedo. It is not yet known if changes will follow to their preseason plan.
Avangard and CSKA were not the first KHL teams to have coronavirus detected in several hockey players. On July 15, Spartak Moscow defender Andrei Zubarev said on his Instagram page that he was diagnosed with viral pneumonia.
“Finally, you can come to the location of the team, train with the guys. I missed hockey, communication, and the team. You start to take tests, prepare for a tough preseason, so that you will soon play against an opponent. But they tell you: “Wait, don't rush, here's your first opponent, you’ll deal with him first,” Zubarev wrote.
Then the club reported a temporary suspension of training, as six players and one employee passed positive tests. On Tuesday, the whole team passed the second re-testing and is now awaiting its results, after which the issue of resuming the training camp will be decided.
In addition, the media reported about one case of COVID-19 in AK Bars, the hospitalization of the head coach of the Russian Knights Rustem Kamaletdinov and epidemics in the Higher Hockey League (VHL) clubs in Krasnogorsk Dynamo and Ryazan and the youth team "Captain".
The start of the new KHL season is scheduled for September 2. Next week there will be a meeting of the league's board of directors, at which the list of participants will be approved, as well as the final version of the tournament calendar.