The IIHF explained the deprivation of Belarus of the right to host the World Cup
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) explained the deprivation of Belarus the right to host the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship. This is reported on the website of the organization.
It is noted that the federation is unable to guarantee the safety of players, fans and officials. IIHF also expressed hope that the socio-political problems in the country will be resolved in the near future.
The IIHF promised to inform about the new location and format of the tournament in addition.
The transfer of the tournament from Minsk became known earlier on Monday, January 18. It was originally planned that the tournament will be held in Belarus and Latvia from May 21 to June 6, 2021.
On January 16, IIHF President Rene Fasel spoke about the political pressure on the organization. According to him, first of all, it comes from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany – the governments of these countries have called for a boycott of the World Cup. In addition, large companies threatened to refuse to sponsor the tournament.
Mass protests of citizens who disagree with the official results of the presidential elections, won by Alexander Lukashenko, have continued in Belarus since August 9 last year. One of the opposition’s demands is to move the World Cup from Minsk as a refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the current government.
Сообщение The IIHF explained the deprivation of Belarus of the right to host the World Cup появились сначала на supercar.ru.