IIHF strips Belarus of World Cham­pi­onship hosting rights

After much back and forth, the time has now come – the IIHF has stripped Belarus of hosting the 2021 World Championship! The world governing body is thus responding to the devastating political situation in the country.

The IIHF Executive Committee made this decision during a video conference, with the lack of security cited as the official reason. World governing body President Rene Fasel said: "It is very regrettable that we have to withdraw the co-hosting role from Belarus. However, at the present time we cannot guarantee the safety of the players, teams and potential spectators, and we are therefore compelled to take this step."

The IIHF Committee will now discuss whether Latvia will host the World Championship as the sole country or whether another nation may take over Belarus' hosting role. Slovakia and Denmark are reportedly in pole position. A decision is expected to be made next week.