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An Olympic hockey coach admitted to using a fake vaccination card to coach his team at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.
Swiss ice hockey coach Patrick Fischer has admitted he used a certificate falsely claiming he had 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 Swiss francs ($50,000) by local authorities in 2023 for forgery after buying the certificate on social media. The SRF said he made his admission public shortly thereafter.
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Head coach Patrick Fischer of Switzerland reacts during the men’s preliminary Group A match against the Czech Republic at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, on February 15, 2026. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
In a statement late Monday, Fischer said he made a “serious mistake in this matter” by traveling to Beijing with the Swiss men’s team using false papers.
“I’m very sorry if I’ve disappointed people with this situation,” Fischer said. “I was in an extraordinary personal crisis because I didn’t want to be vaccinated. At the same time, I definitely didn’t want to let my team down at the Olympic Games.”
Fischer is one of Switzerland’s most successful hockey coaches of all time. He has been in the post since 2015 and took the team to three Olympics as well as winning three silver medals at the World Championships.
Head coach Patrick Fischer of Team Switzerland trains on the ice during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on February 8, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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The team was eliminated in the quarter-final round.
Ahead of the 2022 Olympics, China had some of the strictest COVID-19 regulations in the world. It insisted that every athlete heading to the Games must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or sit out a three-week quarantine in a hotel, as Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer did.
Switzerland will host the World Cup next month. Fischer was already supposed to resign after that, and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation said it considers the matter closed.
Head coach Patrick Fischer of Team Switzerland reacts during the Men’s Preliminary Group B Round between ROC and Switzerland at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on February 9, 2022. (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
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Fischer played for the Swiss national team at the 2002 and 2006 Olympics and also played for the country’s 1994 World Juniors team. He spent most of his career playing for EV Zug of Switzerland’s National League A, where his shirt number has been retired.
