MOSCOW, February 7, Andrey Senchenko. Playing in medical masks in the international match Russia and Canada at the Beijing Olympics could threaten the health of all hockey players participating in the meeting, said goalkeeper of the Russian national team Maria Sorokina. On Monday, the Russians lost to the Canadians with a score of 1:6. The meeting began with an hour delay due to the lack of information about the results of tests of Russian women for coronavirus. Both teams started the match wearing medical masks. After the second period, the Russians took them off, the Canadians continued to play in personal protective equipment. Sorokina entered the game in the middle of the second period with a score of 0:4, replacing the 17-year-old Daria Gredzen. «Perhaps the masked game threatened the health of the athletes: both ours and Canadians. But such a decision was made, we were ready to play under any conditions «We passed the tests in the normal mode, as expected, nothing special. We came to the warm-up today, warmed up. The Canadians were without masks. Then suddenly we went to the match, but they didn't. We didn't even know about their decision. Only after entering the ice, it became clear that something was going wrong. We are athletes. Whatever they tell us, we will do,» Sorokina told reporters. «We were asked to go out in masks, and we agreed not to embarrass anyone. allowed to play without masks thanks to negative tests, the results of which came during the game. Usually, information about the new rules reaches the coaching staff and administration. We are forced people, we only had the task of playing. It's hard to breathe in masks. walk, then breathe t rudno, you can imagine what it's like to play them when you want more air, but there is not enough of it. It is also inconvenient that the mask fits over the eyes. But all in such conditions. An unusual Olympics, with such events it will go down in history,» Sorokina concluded.
