SportsIIHF Revokes Russia's Rights To Host 2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championship

IIHF Revokes Russia’s Rights To Host 2023 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship

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April 27, (THEWILL) – The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has initiated a fresh bid process, after Russia was stripped of the 2023 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship.

The decision to revoke Russia’s hosting rights came after the governing body’s most recent Council meeting, which was held in Zurich on Tuesday, where the IIHF approved the decision.

Next year’s event was supposed to be held in St. Petersburg from May 5 to 21. It was not always going to be a matter of time before the decision was made because the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has never hidden the fact that he called St. Petersburg home.

The IIHF stated the decision to cancel the competition was made out of concern for “safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media and fans.”

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a similar decision was made to revoke the country’s hosting rights for the 2023 World Junior Championships. Russia and Belarus, who aided Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, have also had their membership in the IIHF revoked.

“An alternative host for the World Championship will be confirmed during the 2022 IIHF Annual Congress in Tampere, Finland, which will take place during the final week of the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship,” the IIHF said.

“The decision to relocate the event was taken primarily out of concern for the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and fans.

“As was the case with the Council’s earlier decision to withdraw the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship that was to be held in Omsk and Novosibirsk, Russia, the Council expressed significant concerns over the safe freedom of movement of players and officials to, from, and within Russia.

“The IIHF Council prioritised this decision for the April meeting, in order to ensure an alternative hosting option and give the new host enough time to make preparations.”

Both the COVID-19 pandemic and politics have had an impact on recent editions of the Men’s Ice Hockey World Championships.

The pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 World Championships in Switzerland. And, due to pressure, the IIHF eventually agreed to remove Belarus as a co-host of the 2021 event due to a government crackdown following protests during the contentious Presidential election.

Latvia was later confirmed as the event’s lone host country.

Now, Belarus and Russia will be absent at this year’s World Championships in Finland due to their respective countries’ sanctions. As replacements, Austria and France have been included.

THEWILL recalls that Russian President Vladimir Putin commended the IIHF before the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in Saint Petersburg in September, where Tardif succeeded the long-serving René Fasel.

Putin had expressed gratitude to the IIHF for its “constructive cooperation and trust” in awarding Russia the World Championship and World Junior Championship in 2023.

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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