Covid: WHO warns of coming storm in Europe - BBC News
Germany, Sweden and Portugal are latest to announce new restrictions to stem spread of Omicron
The Nashville Predators are one of the sides who have seen games postponed amid a slew of positive coronavirus cases Image caption: The Nashville Predators are one of the sides who have seen games postponed amid a slew of positive coronavirus cases

The National Hockey League (NHL) will not send its players to compete in the men's ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics as concerns mount over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, US media has reported.

The NHL, which is home to most of the sport's top players, agreed last September to pause its regular season so players could compete for their nations in Beijing ,with the caveat it could withdraw if Covid-19 disruptions forced games to be rescheduled during the Olympics window.

ESPN reports that players' representatives and league officials reached an agreement on Tuesday to withdraw from the games, with an official announcement expected in the next 24 hours.

The decision will effect every country, though the US and Canada are expected to be particularly badly hit as their entire squads consist of players from the league.

Withdrawal has been looking increasingly likely in recent days after a surge in positive coronavirus cases among the league's players saw administrators agree to pause the league for its winter break early on Wednesday.

The NHL is one of the most vaccinated sports leagues in the world. In October, commissioner Gary Bettman said just four players across the entire league remained unvaccinated.