The President of the IIHF has ruled out the transfer of the ice hockey world championship from Russia

Photo: 50 Robert Hradil/ZUMAPRESS.com

The President of the International ice hockey Federation (IIHF) Rene Fasel said that the organization does not consider the possibility of moving the youth and adult world Championships 2023 from Russia in connection with the recommendation of the world doping Agency (WADA) to deprive the country of the right to host major international competitions for a period of four years.

Fasel noted that the Federation already have contracts and sponsors under tournaments scheduled in Russia and in Omsk, Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg for the competition stadiums are built. According to him, lawyers of the IIHF does not see the possibility to hold the Championships in another country.

«With regard to the world Championships in Russia, the tournaments have been distributed. I don’t see that changing venues would be made lawful, so I think that to change the location of these events is impossible», — quotes Fasel TASS.

The decision on sanctions against Russia will be made at the WADA Executive Committee meeting to be held on 9 December in Paris. Earlier it became known that the Committee on correspondence recommended the Executive Committee to deny the status of the Russian anti-doping Agency, and four years to ban Russian athletes to compete under the national flag, and Russia — carried out on its territory international tournaments.

World Cup 2023 will be held in St. Petersburg. Youth world championship in 2023 will take Omsk and Novosibirsk. Russia is also vying to host the women’s world Cup 2021 with the application of Ufa.