IIHF to withdraw Russia as host of 2023 World Hockey Championship
The 2023 World Hockey Championship will need a new host.
The International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Tuesday that its Council has decided to withdraw Russia as the host of the tournament. It was set to be held at two different venues in St. Petersburg, the second-largest city in Russia.
A replacement will reportedly be named next month.
The IIHF Council has decided to withdraw the hosting rights of the 2023 #IIHFWorlds from Russia.
More: https://t.co/WZiyUIsmOM pic.twitter.com/XHvwQfNqTr
This decision comes as a response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Back in February, the International Olympic Committee told International Federations to move sporting events from Russia as a condemnation of the attack. In March, the NHL severed ties and communications with the KHL, Russia’s top hockey league.
The host 2021 World Hockey Championship was changed just a few months before the tournament was played. It was originally set to be played in Minsk, Belarus and Riga, Latvia, but due to rising political unrest in Belarus, the IIHF decided the entire tournament would be played in Latvia.
The 2022 tournament is scheduled to be played between May 13 and 29 in two cities in Finland: Tampere and Helsinki.
There’s no word yet as to where the 2023 tournament will be played. The 2024 tournament will be played in the Czech Republic and the 2025 tournament will be split between Sweden and Denmark.