Reports: Russian journey hockey team removed from Calgary to Frankfurt flight
CALGARY — A group of people identified by media reports and fellow passengers as members of Russia’s world junior hockey team were removed from a New Year’s Eve flight from Calgary to Frankfurt, local police said.
The team members were heading home from the IIHF world junior championships in Red Deer and Edmonton, which were cancelled on Wednesday due to COVID-19 outbreaks on several teams.
“The team of the Czech Republic and Russia was removed from the flight for violating the mask regime. Very strict rules,” Russian coach Sergei Zubov told Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Eoin Kenny, a passenger on the flight who was in business class, said one Russian official who was seated near him was vaping in the cabin and refused to put his mask up over his mouth and nose. The flight attendants tried over and over to get him to comply with the rules, Kenny said, but the man refused.