Pandemic puts paid to ice hockey world championship
The tournament was slated to take place in Lausanne and Zurich.
Keystone / Christian Bruna
The Ice Hockey World Championship, which had been scheduled to start in Switzerland from May 8, has been called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Ice Hockey FederationExternal link (IIHF) took the decision on Saturday. “This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept,” said IIHF president René Fasel in a statementExternal link. “The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government bodies to combat its spread. The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set aside sport for now and support both government bodies and the ice hockey family.”
There is no possibility to reschedule the annual tournament to another date later this year, the organisers said. Other host countries have been fixed until 2025, raising the possibility that Switzerland could miss out on hosting the event for some time.
The IIHF congress will meet to thrash out the implications of the championship being cancelled this year and arrange a ticket refund policy.
Orders had been received for some 300,000 tickets worth around CHF24 million ($24.4 million), Gian Gilli, CEO of the organising committee, told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.
The tournament had “implemented a robust insurance and risk management program” to cover lost revenues from a cancellation.
The 2020 IIHF annual conference, due to have been held in Zurich on May 21-23, has also been called off. It has yet to be decided when and where the meeting can be rescheduled.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss institute hosted informal talks between Russians, Ukrainians and Americans
This content was published on
The Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) has hosted 10 meetings between Russian and Ukrainian interlocutors since the start of the war.
Automated driving on Swiss motorways is theoretically possible from March
This content was published on
It will be theoretically possible to hand over the steering wheel to technology but no such system has been submitted for official approval yet.
Heated atmosphere at Swiss rally against AfD politician Alice Weidel
This content was published on
Around 250 people demonstrated "against the right" and the German AfD politician Alice Weidel on Saturday afternoon in Einsiedeln.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Federal funds proposed for international sporting events
This content was published on
As Switzerland gears up for a clutch of international sporting events, the government today asked parliament to sign-off on financial support.
This content was published on
The Swiss put up a tenacious fight, but the Swedish proved to be too strong and ended Switzerland’s fairy-tale nine-game winning streak at this year’s tournament. Switzerland’s last world championship medal was in 1953, when it took bronze. Despite being founder members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Swiss were contesting their second ever final, having lost on…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.