Facts and facts about the U-20 World Cup: isolation, no relegated teams and teams beaten by the Crown – sport

The U-20 World Cup in Switzerland starts on Friday in Edmonton. The tournament has a special poster.

It’s anything but an ordinary U-20 ice hockey world championship. The teams are in a bubble in Edmonton, Canada, from which they are not allowed to leave. The arrival of the European teams took place on the penultimate Sunday with a charter flight, then they went directly to the hotel in a four-day isolation, in which no one could leave the room. The strict rules also include daily crown tests.

Corona cases: Germany hit hard

From a Swiss perspective, only Yves Stoffel from the EVZ Academy tested positive during the prep week in Cham and Zug; he and his roommate Jannik Canova (Davos) had to leave the camp due to a quarantine order from the canton doctor.

Compared to other nations, the Swiss came out lightly. Because with the Germans, for example, on the night of December 31, the last opponent of the group, eight players tested positive in Edmonton, resulting in an extension of the quarantine until at least December 23 – only those who already have one can enter the ice. You have the Covid-19 infection behind you.

The Swedes, against whom the Swiss had played a preparatory match, also had two positive cases after entering the country. That is why the match against Austria on Wednesday night (a 3-2 win for the Swiss team) was the only test for Marco Bayer’s team before the start of the World Cup.

Mode: the last one ends prematurely

The game is played in two groups. The top four teams in each group qualify for the quarterfinals (A1 – B4, B1 – A4, 2A – 3B, 2B – 3A). Since there are no relegated teams, the tournament ends for the last two teams after the preliminary round.

Schedule: Switzerland with mandatory homework at the beginning

The Swiss Juniors start against the Slovaks on Christmas Day. According to coach Bayer, a victory is essential in this game. The Swiss are outsiders against Finland (December 27) and Canada (December 30), but that’s where they see their chances. Also, Canadians lack match practice. It’s a 50:50 match against the Germans.