The women’s world hockey championship tournament in Canada has been postponed indefinitely after health officials in Nova Scotia informed the International Ice Hockey Federation the province’s borders are being closed due to COVID-19 concerns, an IIHF official said Wednesday.
IIHF chief Rene Fasel confirmed the development to The Associated Press, saying the organization was informed of the province’s decision earlier in the day. Sportsnet.ca first reported the news.
Fasel said he was “very disappointed” by the decision, which comes a little over two weeks before the 10-team tournament was set to run in Halifax and Truro from May 6-16. He said the IIHF will focus on rescheduling the tournament later this year either in Nova Scotia or another country.
Fasel called it imperative to hold the tournament this year because it is the final one before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The world championships were canceled last year in Nova Scotia because of the coronovirus pandemic. This year’s event had already been pushed back by a month because of safety concerns.
The postponement came at the last minute, with many teams already preparing to travel to Canada over the next two days in order to satisfy the nation’s quarantine regulations for foreign travelers.
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