|
The tournament was scheduled to take place in
St Petersburg from May 5-21. The federation said it will name an
alternate host during the 2022 world championship, which will
take place in Finland.
"The decision to relocate the event was taken primarily out of
concern for the safety and well-being of all participating
players, officials, media, and fans," the IIHF said in a
statement.
"The council expressed significant concerns over the safe
freedom of movement of players and officials to, from, and
within Russia."
The Russian Hockey Federation will appeal the decision, TASS
news agency quoted a federation official as saying on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, the IIHF suspended Russian and Belarusian
teams from its competitions until further notice and revoked
Russia's hosting rights for the 2023 world junior championships.
Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military
operation". Belarus is a key staging area for the invasion.
St Petersburg and Moscow co-hosted the 2016 world championships,
where Russia finished third.
This year's edition in Finland will be held from May 13-29 with
Austria and France replacing Russia and Belarus.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Kevin
Liffey and Christian Radnedge)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
