Ice hockey coach Patrick Fischer admitted using a false COVID-19 vaccination certificate to bypass China’s travel restrictions for the 2022 Winter Olympics. In a statement, Fischer expressed regret over his actions, stating he made “a serious mistake” by traveling to Beijing with the Swiss team on falsified paperwork.
Swiss public broadcaster SRF revealed that Fischer was fined nearly 39,000 Swiss francs ($50,000) in 2023 for document forgery after purchasing the certificate from social media. The admission came shortly after SRF confronted him with these documents.
Fischer’s role as coach is now under scrutiny following his falsified Olympic paperwork. Despite this controversy, Fischer remains one of Switzerland’s most successful hockey coaches, having led the team to three Olympics and three silver medals at the World Championship since 2015.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, COVID-19 testing was mandatory for all athletes, leading some, like Patrizia Kummer, to opt out. China had strict COVID-19 rules requiring any athletes attending the games to be vaccinated or undergo a three-week quarantine.