New Delhi: The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has cancelled a previously scheduled 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship in Russia, the press office of the world’s governing body of ice hockey said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Out of concern for the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and fans, the IIHF Council has decided to withdraw the hosting rights of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from Russia,” the statement reads.
“The decision to withdraw the event was made during the latest IIHF Council meeting held on Tuesday, 26 April in Zurich, Switzerland,” according to the statement. “The tournament was scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia from 5 to 21 May 2023.”
The world’s governing ice hockey body also said that “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.”
On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments referring to a special military operation in Ukraine.
Following the IOC recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
IIHF’s previously planned tournaments in Russia
In September 2018, the Russian city of St. Petersburg was chosen by the IIHF management to host the world championship in 2023, scheduling the dates on May 5-21. The May 2019 IIHF Congress in Bratislava greenlighted this decision.
The Russian bid offered up two arenas in St. Petersburg to host the matches of the ice hockey world championship in 2023. One of them is currently under construction and once completed it may become the biggest ice arena in Europe with capacity seating ranging between 21,500 and 23,000.
The other arena in St. Petersburg will be the Ice Palace, which is currently the home stadium for KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg club and boasts an over 12,300-seat capacity.
The world’s governing body of ice hockey also announced in 2018 that the Siberian cities of Novosibirsk and Omsk would be the venues for matches of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship (December 26, 2022 – January 5, 2023).
(Vinayak)
