The Intercontinental Ice Hockey Federation is canceling all of its January events since of the increase in COVID-19 conditions, the firm introduced Friday.
The cancellations consist of the 2022 U18 Women’s Planet Championships in Sweden, marking it the second straight 12 months the IIHF will not have staged the match.
The IIHF, meanwhile, held the 2021 U18 Men’s Earth Championships in Texas and has the 2022 U18 men’s party however scheduled for April in Germany. The IIHF also has staged its U20 Men’s Earth Junior Championships in just about every of the earlier two seasons, like the 2022 event, which is just obtaining underway in Edmonton, Alberta. There is no women’s equivalent of the U20 event.
The IIHF said in a launch that the final decision to terminate the January tournaments was based on a advice from the organization’s health care committee.
Federations started notifying players Thursday of the cancellation, resources stated.
The news upset numerous gamers, who feel the coronavirus pandemic has widened the gender hole in the sport and that the IIHF routinely prioritizes men’s programming about women’s.
The @IIHFHockey has prioritized/held major division mens events through the pandemic but the best division womens events – cancelled once again. UNACCEPTABLE. Figure out how to safely and securely perform the U18 Worlds this period, just like the U18 adult males & #WorldJuniors. These players Deserve to engage in much too pic.twitter.com/kKmgErKetx
— Kendall Coyne Schofield (@KendallCoyne) December 24, 2021
Said Kendall Coyne Schofield on Twitter: “The IIHF has prioritized & held top rated division men’s activities in the course of the pandemic but the top division women’s events – cancelled – all over again. UNACCEPTABLE. Figure out how to properly play the U18 Worlds this time, just like the U18 adult men & #WorldJuniors. These players Are entitled to to enjoy way too.”
“Uncomfortable @iihfhockey,” U.S. Women’s National Crew ahead Abby Roque posted to her Instagram story on Thursday. “Fix this.”
Included Canadian national group member Erin Ambrose: “Why is it mechanically a cancellation? We realize the issues concerning wellbeing and basic safety but why is a postponement not regarded for these girls as the men’s tournaments continue without having hesitation? #equalityinsport”
The IIHF stated in its release that it was not doable to reschedule the women’s beneath-18 championship “owing to league commitments within Sweden.”
IIHF communications supervisor Adam Steiss claimed the men’s environment junior championship is heading forward whilst the January tournaments have been canceled due to the fact “the epidemiological circumstance changed substantially only just after the [men’s] U20 players entered quarantine.”
“The healthcare committee’s advice took into account the journey pitfalls that the groups enjoying in the January tournaments would have confronted, and the belief that the event organizers would not have been equipped to properly manage an outbreak,” Steiss claimed in an e mail to The Canadian Press.
Some decrease-tier men’s and women’s tournaments also are amongst the January cancellations.
The Related Press contributed to this report.