Controversey at the Olympics already, Finland vs Canada game postponed

The puck is set to officially drop on the 2026 Winter Olympics today, but Canadian and Finnish hockey fans will have to wait a little longer to see their countries in action.

Today, in a somewhat controversial decision, the IOC announced that today's scheduled game between Canada's and Finland's women's teams will be postponed due to a virus that has rocked the Finnish side.

"The decision was taken following consultations with medical professionals after cases of norovirus were identified within Team Finland," said a joint statement Thursday from the International Olympic Committee, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the organizing committee.

"It was made collectively and in accordance with established health and safety principles, with the health and well-being of players, team staff, officials and all tournament participants as the highest priority.

"While all stakeholders recognize the disappointment of not playing the game as originally scheduled, this was a responsible and necessary decision that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games and the integrity of the competition."

Finland reportedly has 13 players out of the lineup and cannot ice a proper roster for tonight's game. There are also concerns about spreading the virus to their opponents.

Thursday's regularly scheduled preliminary-round game will now be played Feb. 12 at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.

The sentiment from hockey fans around social media is that it was the right idea to not play this game, given the circumstances but that postponement is a surprising decision. There's a belief that Finland should be forced to forfeit the game if they can't ice a proper roster. It's not Canada's fault that Finland caught sick and now they're being forced to change their game plan for something out of their control. How is that fair?

While I see the argument being made here, personally I think that good sportsmanship should rule the day. This is the Olympic Games, after all and sportsmanship should always be top of mind.