Head Of Finnish Federation: I Do Not Believe That Ice Hockey World Cup Can Be Held In Minsk

Harri Nummela hopes for the victory of democracy in Belarus.

President of the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation Harri Nummela has said it would be difficult to hold the World Hockey Championship 2021 in Belarus.

- We, of course, continue to monitor the situation in the country. For now, it is very alarming. However, there is still much time before the tournament. Certainly, we hope that everything will calm down and the development of democracy will win. But the situation is getting worse, and now we do not believe in the possibility of holding matches in Belarus. We should also not forget about the development of the pandemic, - Yle.fih quotes Nummela.

He added that the decision will be taken at the IIHF meeting, but the countries are also discussing the championship among themselves.

- Yes, discussions are going on, especially among the Nordic countries, but now it is important to hear the opinion of the International Federation on this issue, - Nummela said.

We remind that the World Championships is to be held in Riga and Minsk in 2021. In this case, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš asked the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to move the tournament from Minsk.