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Russia is banned for four years from hosting or
bidding for major sporting events under a ruling announced by
the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday as punishment for
having provided it with doctored laboratory data.
The sanctions also bar Russians from competing under their
country's flag at top international sporting events, including
the next summer and winter Olympics.
Asked if Russia could still host the 2023 IIHF World
Championship in St. Petersburg, Fasel said: "Nothing is sure
actually today, but we will work on that and do everything
possible that we can to protect our interests and our
federation."
Fasel added that the IIHF was awaiting a decision from the Court
of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the sanctions against Russia.
The supervisory board of Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA
convenes on December 19 to decide whether to appeal against the
sanctions.
"We really hope that it will not be a political decision but
that it will be fair and a legal decision that will be made,"
Fasel said.
WADA has said that signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code
such as the IIHF must move events that fall under that period to
another country "unless it is legally or practically impossible
to do so."
Businessman Gennady Timchenko, an ally of Russian President
Vladimir Putin who serves as president of Kontinental Hockey
League (KHL) club SKA St. Petersburg, said last year that he
wanted to build the world's largest hockey arena to host the
tournament.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; editing by Jason Neely)
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