Patrick Fischer admitted to using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate to travel to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He was fined nearly $50,000 by local authorities for buying a forged certificate off social media. Fischer has been fired as coach of the Swiss national team ahead of the World Championships in Switzerland.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, China required athletes to be vaccinated or spend a three-week quarantine in a hotel. Switzerland reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Patrick Fischer has been coach of the Swiss national team since 2015.
I'm very sorry if I've disappointed people with this situation. I was in an extraordinary personal crisis because I didn't want to be vaccinated. At the same time I certainly didn't want to let my team down at the Olympic Games.
Under Patrick Fischer's leadership, the Swiss national team rose from eighth to second place in the world rankings and won three silver medals. Patrick Fischer had previously announced that the 2026 World Championships would be his last tournament. Jan Cadieux will take over as coach for the upcoming World Championships.
The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation stated that the case is legally closed but triggered a public discussion about values and trust. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation acknowledged that their initial assessment of the case was too simplified and that they took too little account of the aspect of values and respect. Patrick Fischer received day fines for speeding totaling 130,000 kronor.
I am really sorry if I have made people disappointed in this situation. I was in an extraordinary personal crisis because I did not want to be vaccinated. At the same time, I really did not want to make my team disappointed at the Olympic Games.
Key unknowns remain regarding the evidence presented by Swiss public broadcaster SRF and how Fischer obtained the fake certificate from social media. It is unclear why the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation changed its assessment and what legal proceedings led to the case closure. The impact on Fischer's future hockey career is also unknown.