Dealing with devastation: Jill Saulnier’s heartfelt statement on cancellation of 2021 Women’s World Championships

IIHF officially cancelled the 2021 Women’s World Championships that were scheduled for May 6-16 in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia due to COVID-19 concerns.

This announcement was delivered right before the official roster for Canada Women’s National Team was made public.

For athletes like Olympic silver medalist, Jill Saulnier, a member of Team Canada and a Nova Scotia native, this devastating news hit hard. In a social media post, Saulnier detailed her emotions in a heartfelt statement.

Read the entire statement below:

I woke up with a pit in my stomach today. I wish it was from game day nerves, but it wasn’t. We got here a week ago. Many of you may not know that because we stay in our hotel rooms in isolation away from everyone. All day. Every day.

Away from the public because the safety of the province is most important.

We take a bus 100 meters to the rink to make sure we don’t bump into anyone or have any interaction with the public.

Because the safety of the province is the most important.

We came into Nova Scotia, all 60 some of us with negative tests, and get tested every second day to ensure we are negative before even stepping on the ice.

Because the safety of the province is most important.

After 5 negative covid tests for every one of us, today we were going to find out who was named to the Worlds Team (a dream for all of us to come true – over zoom) and enter our 8 day bubble.

Doors shut, no ice, no workouts, nothing. You can only imagine how difficult that would be for an athlete before one of the biggest tournaments of our lives, but we bought in.

Because the safety of the province is most important.

Every country was chartering a flight or privately making their way here today, after their own quarantine in their country and entering the 8 day isolation. Private rooms, tests daily, doors shut. Zoom only.

This was the plan because the safety of the province is most important.

I wasn’t going to vocalize how I felt this morning, but as female athletes, we need to have a voice. I am from this province and as the people close to me know, I am so, so proud to be Nova Scotian. And as a Nova Scotian, I can’t even tell you how much I appreciated the measures that Hockey Canada went to make sure this would run safety.

To put things in perspective, we would have had 11 consecutive negative covid tests (including before we travelled here and during) before we put that jersey on. That’s a pretty promising number.

The only thing we were going to bring into this province was excitement, joy, and a little bit of life at a time when I know we all needed it most.

I love this province, but I am so disappointed in the decision to rob us of this dream.

– Jill Saulnier via Instagram