President of the Russian Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretyak (left) and IIHF chief René Fasel.
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On Wednesday, after a meeting of the IIHF Council, its president, René Fasel, admitted that this would be an extremely difficult verdict. “We must be sure that the championship takes place in a safe and responsible way for everyone,” Fasel pointed out not only the coronavirus pandemic, but also the political situation in Belarus.
Although Fasel has emphasized several times before that politics should not interfere with sport, so what has previously been approved by the IIHF Congress applies – that is, that the World Cup 2021 should be hosted by Minsk and Riga. At the same time, however, he acknowledged that safe conditions for players, referees, the media and other participants in the tournament should be a priority in the final decision.
Head of the International Hockey Federation René Fasel
Profimedia.cz
And the IIHF in Belarus is not sure at the moment.
That’s why René Fasel is said to have started working intensively on Plan B. According to Ryan Kennedy from The Hockey News, at least.
“IIHF will move the championship from Belarus to Moscow. René Fasel is headed to Russia to meet with Tretyjak on this issue (Vladislav Tretyjak is the President of the Russian Hockey Federation – author’s note). Latvia as a co-organizer would remain, “Kennedy wrote on his Twitter.
Big News: the IIHF will be moving the World Championship from Belarus to Moscow. Rene Fasel is heading to Russia to meet with Tretiak on the matter. Co-host Latvia will keep its games.
— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) November 19, 2020
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The IIHF has not yet confirmed this information.
The 2021 World Championships are to take place from May 21 to June 6, and the Czech national team led by coach Filip Pešán should also play the matches of the basic group in Minsk. Two quarterfinals, both semifinals and medal matches, are to take place in the Belarusian capital.
Russia last hosted the World Cup four years ago, when it was played in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The next World Cup should take place in Russia (St. Petersburg) according to the original plan in 2023. Or will it be two years earlier?
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