Belarus has minimal opportunities to host the World Hockey Championship, Kalvitis believes

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Already reported that the LHF leadership on Monday for the first time openly expressed his position on the events in Belarus, sending a letter to the leadership of the Belarusian Hockey Federation (BHF) asking it to explain the involvement of FHB President Dmitry Baskov in the crackdown on the opposition. The letter was signed by LHF President Aigars Kalvītis, who was asked why the federation has decided to talk about this topic right now.

“ice Hockey In Latvia, and as the Belarusians have claimed all these months, it is out of politics, “Kalvītis told LTV.” Let them explain whether their works correspond to the words they express in public. “

Former FHB chairman Gennady Savilov resigned on August 26, but Baskov was appointed in an extraordinary election on 9 September.

“Every week we have joint conferences,” Kalvītis said about the cooperation between LHF and FHB. “I am very convinced that the people who work for the World Cup on a daily basis do not take part in the political process. Unfortunately, the leadership of the federation, which was appointed a few months ago, turns out to be highly politicized.”

The President of the LHF recalled the Federation’s previous rhetoric that the organization was preparing to organize competitions for eight teams, but that only the International Hockey Federation could withdraw the part of the tournament allocated to Belarus (IIHF).

Last week, IIHF president Rene Fasel went to Russia to discuss the transfer of the championship from Belarus to Russia in talks with Vladislav Tretyak, President of the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR), reported Sports Illustrated journalist Ryan Kennedy. Official information about such a possibility has not yet been issued, Kalvītis emphasized.

“We have such information only at the level of rumors. The possibility that the championship will take place in Belarus is very minimal. The question of how the IIHF will solve this legal side. It must be understood that there are financial obligations, contracts and a lot of work done. hockey countries have to wait for the IIHF to take that turn, “outlined the LHF president.

Kalvītis also pointed out that the championship suppresses other problems, which do not allow to speak unequivocally at the moment about the possibility for Latvia to host the championship in full. In this case, the needs of the second hall could be met by a temporary hockey hall set up at the Elektrum Olympic Center.

“If the world championship takes place without spectators, then such a championship in a bubble will cost a lot of money. The question of who will pay for it. That is why we have repeatedly called on the IIHF to accept some clarity. “Every week we miss makes these questions even more difficult,” concludes Kalvītis.

“I’m not a big optimist that in such a short time it is possible to organize a championship for 16 teams in a bubble. Of course, if tense, everything in life can be done.”

The IIHF has internally accepted January 21 as the last date for deciding on the order of the World Cup. However, the president of the LHF believes that he should not procrastinate for so long, so he expects a decision to be made in the coming weeks.

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