Four athletes from women’s hockey of the Finnish national team were affected by an infection from Norovirusa very common pathogen that causes gastroenteritis. These are classic, highly contagious “intestinal viruses” that cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and headache. As a preventative measure, given the infectious nature of this virus, as well as isolate 13 athletes, training sessions and commitments with the team’s press were canceled and their debut at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games against Canada was postponed from 5 to 12 February. The decision, which came the day before the opening ceremony, was taken after the Finnish team only had 10 players (8 skaters and 2 goalkeepers) and did not reach the minimum number (17) required by the regulations. There is no need to be alarmed, in most cases the infection, which can occur through contaminated food or water, does not cause serious damage and passes in a few days.
The concern, rather than for health (the symptoms last from 12 to 60 hours), is for the hypothetical postponement of the competitions that a mass contagion in the Olympic Village would entail. The event has tight deadlines and the organization cannot afford major delays.
The virus, identified in 1972, is widespread globally and, as reported by the WHO, it is estimated that in a year in the world there are 685 million infections. Contagion occurs via aerosolbut according to the ISS most Norovirus infections are due to the ingestion of contaminated food (such as raw seafood or vegetables that have not been washed well) and in contact with infected water from tanks, swimming pools or aqueducts. These single-stranded RNA viruses last a long time in the environment and on surfaces, even surviving freezing and high temperatures.
After an incubation time of 12-48 hours the symptoms of the virus appear with nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. The greatest danger is the dehydrationespecially in children and the elderly, which is why the ISS recommends drinking lots of liquids in small sips and using rehydrating solutions. There is no definitive cure and the disease resolves on its own. The only effective weapon against Norovirus ishygiene. You need to wash your hands often with soap and carefully disinfect food (fruit and vegetables) and surfaces. Those who are infected must isolate themselves and, above all, not cook for others until 48 hours after the symptoms end.
It is not the first time that the Olympics have faced viruses or bacteria. A very similar precedent is that of Pyeongchang 2018in South Korea, when Norovirus struck hundreds of people. In addition to the well-known case of Covid a Tokyolet us remember the controversies over theEscherichia coli in the Seine a Paris 2024 and the flu outbreak in Nagano 1998. The reason is almost physiological, the major Olympic events concentrate thousands of people – including athletes, staff and volunteers – in confined spaces such as the Olympic Village. This gathering increases the probability of contagion, especially in winter editions, where life in closed environments facilitates the circulation of pathogens.
