The IIHF Council has determined that it will not be possible for them to hold the 2021 IIHF World Championship in Minsk, Belarus. Due to safety and security issues, the move was unavoidable, as the organization writes on their website.
What will now happen to Latvia's capital Riga as the co-host and whether there will be another co-host or if they will move to a one-venue event is yet to be decided.
“It is a very regrettable thing to have to remove the Minsk/Riga co-hosting bid. During this process, we had tried to promote that the World Championship could be used as a tool for reconciliation to help calm the socio-political issues happening in the Belarus and find a positive way forward. And while the Council feels that the World Championship should not be used for political promotion by any side, it has acknowledged that hosting this event in Minsk would not be appropriate when there are bigger issues to deal with and the safety and security of teams, spectators, and officials to prioritize,” IIHF President René Fasel states.
