China's participation in the Beijing Olympic men's ice hockey tournament remains uncertain, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation said on Tuesday, with a final decision set for Nov. 25 and Norway waiting in the wings to step in as a replacement.
As the host nation, China is guaranteed a spot in every event at the 2022 Games but the IIHF said in September that the men's team could be prevented from playing due to its "insufficient sporting standard."
Fears that China will not be able to ice a competitive team have left the IIHF and the International Olympic Committee scrambling to find ways to avoid the embarrassment of having to drop the host nation from the competition or risk a string of equally humiliating blowout defeats.