World championship canceled

Health concerns and travel bans closing international borders stemming from the new coronavirus pandemic left the International Ice Hockey Federation with little choice but to cancel this year's men's world championship.

The decision to cancel the 16-team tournament to be held in Switzerland in May was formally announced on Saturday, and essentially wipes out the IIHF's entire spring calendar of world championship events.

The governing body previously canceled the women's world hockey championship set to be held in Canada and the men's Under-18 championship to be played in Michigan next month.

"This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept," IIHF president Rene Fasel said in a statement.

"The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government to combat its spread," he added. "The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now."

Due to the pandemic's global scale, the council ruled there was no possibility of relocating the championship to another country.

The two-week tournament was set to start May 8 with games to be played in Zurich and Lausanne.

World championship secretary-general Gian Gilli referred to the decision as a "huge disappointment" but one that must be accepted.

"It is an exceptional situation for all concerned and it is now a question of resolving all the outstanding issues," Gilli said.

The IIHF was already bracing for a cancellation after Fasel on Tuesday told Associated Press it was "a question of when" following an executive committee conference call.

The IIHF council also voted to postpone its annual congress set to take place in Zurich in May.

AP via Xinhua