A hockey game set to be played by Canada and Finland for the preliminaries of the Winter Olympics has been delayed as the Finnish women’s team is taken down by a nasty bout of Norovirus, cutting their squad by 13 players. This was intended to be one of the round-opening games between two contending teams in Womens Olympic hockey.

Despite their lack of players, the Finnish women’s hockey team attempted a practice with only eight players and two goalkeepers. However, the team decided that they would be at too much of a disadvantage with 13 of their players bed-bound or quarantined. Rather than start their Olympic journey with less than half a team, they have delayed the game until 12 February.

This gives them an extra two days to hopefully recover and be match fit for the biggest game in many of their careers. However, Norovirus is particularly nasty, and recovery can take a long time. Fever, headaches, and dehydration can last longer than the projected 1–3 days of actual sickness.

The team was left with few options when it was discovered that so many of them had become ill. There was little possibility of the team performing at an Olympic level with only 10 players able to take to the ice. According to sources, if the Olympic preliminary between Canada and Finland hadn’t been postponed, Finnish officials were considering forfeiting the match.

Officials and coaches thanked the stakeholders and hockey fans for their patience and understanding. Nobody expected the Finnish team to play with more than half their team wracked by a debilitating illness. It will be a testament to their medical team and the strength of the players if they’re able to compete in two days’ time.

It is key that the Finnish women’s hockey team stay isolated if there is any chance of being infected with Norovirus. It is incredibly easily transmitted and could quickly get out of hand, spreading not only through the rest of the women’s hockey team but also to other hockey squads and even other sports. It wouldn’t take much for the Olympic village to be heavily affected. Team Canada certainly didn’t want to risk a contact sport with infected opponents.

The Finnish women’s hockey team first noticed they were coming down with something nasty on Tuesday before their preliminary Olympic game. From there, their conditions quickly worsened, and they quarantined themselves and sought medical help. With any luck, they will be fighting fit when it comes time to play their forfeited match.