MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) – President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Rene Fasel has confirmed the information about the cancellation of the 2020 IIHF World U18 Championships in the USA that should have featured Team Belarus, BelTA learned from the website of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation.
Yes, we canceled the junior world championships. This decision was made after U.S President Donald Trump closed the borders for people arriving from the Schengen Area over the threat of the new coronavirus. We discussed this matter with the Ice Hockey Association of the United States. We had no choice but to cancel the tournament, the website quoted Rene Fasel as saying.
The 2020 IIHF World U18 Championships should have been due on 16-26 April in Ann Arbor and Plymouth, the USA. Team Belarus was to play in Group A against teams from Canada, Latvia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Group B included the USA, Russia, Czechia, Finland, and Germany.
At the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, Team Belarus ranked fifth, having been whitewashed by Russia in the quarterfinals (0-6), but leaving behind the teams of Czechia, Finland, Latvia, Switzerland, and Slovakia.