NHL boss casts doubt over Sochi 2014 participation 22/02/2010 |
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National Hockey League (NHL) commissioner Gary Bettman has said NHL players may not participate in the 2014 Winter Olympic in Sochi because the competition disrupts the NHL season.
The NHL shuts down for two weeks every four years to take part in the Winter Games, but Bettman pointed out that the value of contracts of NHL players in Vancouver totals $2.1bn.
“It costs us money,” Bettman said. “To be at these Olympics, we must basically hand over control of our most important asset – our players.”
Speaking at a joint news conference with Rene Fasel, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Bettman stressed that the league had not made a final decision on Sochi 2014.
He added: "It’s a balancing act. It's absolutely possible that there are lots of things we can do together, but we've got to look at the impact of shutting down from a business, momentum and impact standpoint. We have a multi-billion-dollar business that we're responsible for.”
According to the New York Times, the NHL cannot make a decision on Sochi without the agreement of the players association, which is believed to be strongly in favour of participation at Sochi.
The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union expires at the end of the 2010/11 season, and Olympic participation may be a bargaining chip in negotiations.
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