Tuesday, 8 December 2020
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel has claimed the organisation still wants Belarus to co-host its World Championship next year despite the crisis in the country, as he called off a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko at the last minute after testing positive for COVID-19.
Fasel and IIHF secretary general Horst Lichtner had been due to meet Lukashenko today to discuss concerns surrounding the country s co-hosting of the 2021 IIHF World Championship, amid the Belarus Government s heavy-handed crackdown on protestors against his regime.
Both have now tested positive for COVID-19, however.
Lukashenko was yesterday banned from attending the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games under a series of provisional measures imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus (NOCRB), which he has led for 23 years.
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel has admitted the organisation is in talks with countries which could replace Belarus as co-host for this year s Men s World Championship.
There have been numerous calls for the IIHF to strip Belarus of the right to stage the event - including from the Prime Minister of co-host Latvia - following the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko last year and a harsh crackdown on the protests which have followed.
While Fasel, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, has consistently resisted calls to strip Belarus of co-hosting rights and allow ourselves to be under pressure from politics , an IIHF Expert Group expressed scepticism over the reporting of COVID-19 cases in Belarus following a review into the situation.
IIHF reportedly decide to strip Belarus of World Championship co-hosting rights Wednesday, 30 December 2020
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel is set to inform Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the country has been stripped of its 2021 World Championship co-hosting rights, according to Swiss media reports.
German-language Swiss news website
Watson reported the IIHF would move matches at the tournament from Minsk amid the crisis in the country sparked by Lukashenko s controversial re-election in August.
Fasel and the IIHF have insisted they still plan for Belarus to co-host the event with Riga in Latvia, despite calls for the competition to be moved amid a violent Government crackdown on protesters - including athletes - against the Lukashenko regime.
Monday, 28 December 2020
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel insists he is willing to meet representatives of Belarusian opposition groups and the Belarus Government at any time and anywhere in Europe in order to achieve a constructive dialogue on how to perform the 2021 World Championship outside of political objectives.
The official also confirmed that an investigation has been launched into Belarusian Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) President Dmitri Baskov, who has been accused of involvement in the death of an opposition activist.
Fasel appeared to rule out stripping Belarus of co-hosting rights with Latvia for the upcoming IIHF Men s World Championship, scheduled for May 2021, in a letter responding to Belarus basketball star Yelena Leuchanka.
Monday, 14 December 2020
National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus (NOCRB) vice-president Dmitry Dovgalenok has claimed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) listened only to the point of view of the opponents when making the decision to ban officials from Tokyo 2020.
NOCRB head and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is among three senior officials to be banned from attending next year s postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo.
His son and NOCRB vice-president Viktor Lukashenko and Belarusian Ice Hockey Association President and NOCRB Board member Dmitri Baskov - considered a suspect in an attack on artist Raman Bandarenka, who later died in hospital, during a peaceful protest in Belarus - have also been given the suspension.