- Fans were forced to leave the Yves-du-Manoir stadium on Wednesday evening.
- Three hockey games were suspended before being played without spectators
Fans were evacuated from the Yves-du-Manoir stadium on Wednesday after Olympic hockey night matches were called off due to adverse weather conditions in Paris.
Two women’s matches were affected while another men’s match was also suspended.
In the women’s draw, the matches between Spain and South Africa and the Netherlands and China have been suspended. In the men’s draw, the match between Germany and the Netherlands has also been suspended.
The FIH issued a statement saying: “Following a warning from Meteo France about impending storms, the venue and local authorities have taken the decision to evacuate the stadium in the interest of public safety. Today’s matches will be played as scheduled.”
Matches resumed and were played behind closed doors, reminding spectators of the Tokyo Games during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Giant screens in the stadium told spectators they had to evacuate due to the weather.
Olympic chiefs have yet to confirm whether fans who paid for their tickets will receive a refund after being forced to evacuate.
It seems unlikely they will receive a partial or full refund, as they watched more than 50 percent of the day’s scheduled games.
The general policy in games is that there are no refunds if half of the session has been completed.
The entire Paris region has been placed on severe storm warning, with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast.
