Switzerland fires hockey coach who admitted to faking vaccination status for 2022 Beijing Olympics

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com.

Patrick Fischer, the Swiss hockey coach who admitted he received a fraudulent vaccination card to coach the men's hockey team in the 2022 Olympics, has been fired.

Urs Kessler, president of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, hinted that the "public discussion about values and trust" wound up playing a role in the firing despite the case being "legally closed."

"Trust and integrity are central to our sport and to our organization. From today’s perspective, our initial assessment — that the matter was closed — fell short. This is about values and respect, which are fundamental to Swiss Ice Hockey, and were not upheld by Patrick Fischer in 2022," Kessler said in a statement. 

"The federation regrets that it did not give this aspect enough consideration in its initial assessment.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Head coach Patrick Fischer of Switzerland trains on the ice during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 8, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

"At the same time, the federation thanks Patrick Fischer for his undisputed major sporting achievements. Under his leadership, the Swiss national team has developed steadily over 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 he used a certificate falsely claiming he'd 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