News from the IIHF

During a meeting in Zurich, the IIHF Council discussed the issues submitted by the government of Latvia regarding the status of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, scheduled to be hosted by Minsk, Belarus, and Riga, Latvia.

In a letter submitted to the IIHF, the Latvian Prime Minister has indicated that the country wishes to co-host the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, however that it may be unwilling to do so with Minsk as a co-host under the current circumstances.

The Latvian Prime Minister has called on the IIHF to consider assigning the status of main host for the World Championship to another country.

“This is the first time that a government of a host nation has indicated its unwillingness to remain a tournament co-host with another host nation due to political reasons,” said IIHF President René Fasel.

“The IIHF is deeply concerned over the recent events unfolding in Minsk, but as sports federation the IIHF is not a political entity and cannot move a tournament for political reasons.

“However, the IIHF is responsible for ensuring that each tournament host can guarantee the health and safety of the players, officials, and spectators.”

The IIHF Council will therefore put together an Expert Group to conduct a full review of the tournament’s status and consult with all relevant experts in the financial, medical, event, marketing, sport, legal, and administrative areas of the World Championship.

They will have the mandate to work out a clear picture of the situation with the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship to present to the IIHF Council during its next meeting in November.

Click here to read more on the IIHF website.