BELARUS DEPRIVED OF THE RIGHT TO HOST THE 2021 WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

BELARUS DEPRIVED OF THE RIGHT TO HOST THE 2021 WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

BELARUS DEPRIVED OF THE RIGHT TO HOST THE 2021 WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

According to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Belarus will not host the World Championship this year. In a press release, the organization stated that the decision was inevitable and linked to security issues beyond the IIHF's influence.



Now, according to the explanations of the federation, Latvia's application for participation in the championship will be considered, since initially it acted as a co-organizer along with Belarus.

At the moment, the IIHF is about to assess the possibility of holding the championship in one place for safety reasons, as well as consider the issue of relocations in connection with the spread of coronavirus infection.

Back on January 11, the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation discussed the preparations for the upcoming World Championship with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. However, later it was reported that the sponsors of the competition were under pressure to move the competition out of the country.

According to the initial intentions, the Ice Hockey World Championship was to be held in the spring-summer of 2021 in two countries jointly - Latvia and Belarus.

However, after the presidential elections in August 2020, Lukashenko’s opposition began to seek the introduction of international sanctions against the republic’s government, including sending letters to the International Ice Hockey Federation.


19.01.2021