Slovak striker Marek Hrivík will not start at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina.
The captain of the bronze team was ruled out of the Beijing 2022 Games by an elbow injury. Lukáš Cingel replaced him in the nomination, Miloš Roman took his place among the substitutes.
The request for change has been registered, it is currently subject to approval at the level of the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee and also the International Olympic Committee.
Vítkovice striker Marek Hrivík was in communication with the national team management and head coach Vladimír Országh for a long time. He had been laboring for a long time with an injured elbow, which finally eliminated him from participating under five rings.
VIDEO: Coach Országh about Cehlárik
“Marek has had problems since the Christmas Kaufland Cup. Whether he played or not, we were in regular contact. Unfortunately, his health has worsened in recent days. He dropped out of our Olympic nomination, Lukáš Cingel replaced him,” said head coach Vladimír Országh.
Experienced Cingelo, who is one of the mainstays of Kometa Brno in the Czech extra league, was chosen also due to the fact that he is a center and a universally usable player in several game and standard situations.
There were also other players who came into consideration
Among the substitutes, he had three strikers at his disposal – Cingelo, Marko Dan and Kristián Pospíšil. “There were also other players who came into consideration.
However, Hrivík is a typical center just like Cingel, while the gaming rooms are quite similar. Both are more defensive tuned, of course, Cingel can also be used in weaknesses.
That’s why he was the first choice. Daňo and Pospíšil play more on the wing. As a priority, we needed to replace the center post with a center who regularly plays this position in the club and feels at home there.” clarified Országh.
Cingel belongs to the mainstays of Komety Brno. He played 40 games this season in the shirt of the Czech champions, in which he scored 13 points for eight goals and five assists.
It will be an experience
„VI was very pleased with the message from the coach. The Olympics is once every four years, it is the pinnacle for every athlete. I’m really looking forward to it, not only for the experience, but also for everything around it. It will be an experience, I can’t wait,” the 33-year-old forward told Hockey Slovakia.
The Slovak hockey team will fly to the venue of the games in Milan with six substitutes, the waiting list was completed by Roman from Třinac.
