No World Cham­pi­onship in Raden­thein

The current situation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic is once again affecting plans for the upcoming ice hockey season. Following the postponement of the Champions Hockey League start until November, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) cancelled the first IIHF World Championships of the 2020/21 season on Thursday.

The IIHF's Covid-19 expert group recommended this course of action following various discussions with host and participating nations, concluding that providing a safe environment that does not endanger health (the so-called “bubble”) could pose excessive financial risks for organisers.

In the men's U20 category, no further championships will take place apart from the top-level World Championship in Canada, in which the Austrian national team will also compete from 26 December to 5 January. This affects a total of five tournaments, from Division I Group A to Division III, and 28 participating nations.

In the women's U18 category, all five scheduled World Championship tournaments (from the Top Division to Division II Group B for 27 nations), all of which were due to be played in January, have been cancelled. These cancellations also include the home tournament planned in Carinthia for the Austrian U18 national team, which would have battled for a return to Division IA in Radenthein.

“It is a great shame for our women that they have been deprived of this season's highlight on home soil. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has reached us in a second wave, and the health and safety of all participants clearly take priority. In any case, we will work with our partners to ensure that we stage this World Championship in 2022 and bring it back to Carinthia,” said Dr Klaus Hartmann, President of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation.