Olympic hockey coach admits to using fake COVID vaccination card at Beijing games

An Olympic hockey coach has admitted he used a fake vaccination card to train his team at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

Swiss ice hockey coach Patrick Fischer has admitted he used a certificate to falsely claim to have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to circumvent China's strict travel restrictions.

Swiss public broadcaster SRF said it confronted Fischer with documents showing he was fined nearly 39,000 francs ($50,000) by local authorities in 2023 for document fraud after buying a certificate on social media. The SRF said it had made his admission public not long ago.

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In a statement late Monday, Fischer said he made a “big mistake in this matter” by traveling to Beijing with the Swiss men's team using false documents.

“I'm very sorry if I let people down with this situation,” said Fischer. “I was in an unusual personal crisis because I didn't want to be vaccinated. At the same time, I definitely didn't want to embarrass my team at the Olympic Games.”

Fischer is one of the most successful hockey coaches in Switzerland. He has been in this position since 2015 and has taken the team to three Olympics and won three silver medals at the world championships.

Head coach Patrick Fischer of Team Switzerland trains on the ice during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 8, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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The team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Before the 2022 Olympics, China had some of the strictest COVID-19 laws in the world. It insisted that any athletes going to the Games must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or self-isolate in a hotel for three weeks, as Swiss skier Patrizia Kummer did.

Switzerland will host the world championships next month. Fischer had already stepped down after that, and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation said it considered the matter closed.

Head coach Patrick Fischer of Team Switzerland reacts during the first match of the men's team between the ROC and Switzerland at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 9, 2022. (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

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Fischer played for the Swiss national team at the Olympics in 2002 and 2006 and again played for the country's World Juniors team in 1994. He spent most of his career playing for EV Zug of the Swiss National League A, where his jersey number has since been retired.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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