NHL players worry positive COVID test at Winter Olympics could mean long quarantine in China

With just 51 days until the start of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, there is lingering concern that some of the event's biggest names might ultimately bow out.

Some NHL players have expressed reservations about competing in the Games due to a lack of concrete information from Beijing 2022 organizers, NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr told reporters last week. Their concerns come amid recent disruptions to the league's schedule due to COVID-19 and the rapid global spread of the omicron variant. 

It appears that one of the chief questions (and fears) among players is that a positive COVID-19 test at the Olympics could result in a weekslong quarantine in China. The duration of such a quarantine would be determined by Chinese health authorities.

Players fought for the opportunity to compete in the Olympics as part of their most recent collective bargaining agreement with the NHL, and commissioner Gary Bettman said a possible withdrawal is "ultimately going to have to be a players' decision."

Here are the other key Olympic storylines you might have missed in recent weeks.