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Patrick Fischer, the Swiss hockey coach who admitted he received a fraudulent vaccination card to coach the men’s hockey team at the 2022 Olympics, has been fired.
Urs Kessler, president of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, suggested that the “public discussion about values and trust” ended up playing a role in the dismissal, despite the case being “legally closed”.
“Trust and integrity are central to our sport and to our organization. From today’s perspective, our first assessment – that the case was closed – fell short. This is about values and respect that are fundamental to Swiss ice hockey and were not upheld by Patrick Fischer in 2022,” Kessler said in a statement.
“The association regrets that it has not taken sufficient account of this aspect in its initial assessment.
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Head coach Patrick Fischer of 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)
“At the same time, the association thanks Patrick Fischer for his undisputed great sports achievements. Under his leadership, the Swiss national team has developed steadily for more than a decade, moved up from eighth to second place in the world rankings and won three silver medals, thereby leaving a lasting mark on Swiss ice hockey.”
Fischer admitted to using a certificate falsely claiming he had been vaccinated against COVID-19 to get around 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.
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.
Head coach Patrick Fischer of Team Switzerland reacts during a men’s preliminary round Group B match between the ROC and Switzerland at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on February 9, 2022. (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
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“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.”
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 had to resign even then.
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 and won three silver medals at the World Championships.
Head coach Patrick Fischer of Switzerland reacts during a men’s preliminary round 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)
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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.
