The International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Friday that tournaments slated to begin in January have been canceled due to concerns over COVID-19, including the World Women’s Under-18 Championship.
The World Women’s Under-18 Championship was scheduled to take place January 8-15 in Linkoping and Mjolby, Sweden. The tournament is canceled for a second consecutive year, while earlier in 2021, the pandemic had slowed the holding of the event in these same Swedish cities.
The FIHG mentioned in a press release that the decision to cancel the tournaments for the month of January was taken on the recommendation of the organization’s medical committee, due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
News of the cancellation comes two days before the World Junior Hockey Championship kicks off in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta. The announcement raised some criticism, including Anaheim Ducks player Maxime Comtois who denounced the “unfair” nature of the decision.
“Why is the tournament automatically canceled,” former Canada defenseman Erin Ambrose wrote on Twitter. We understand the health and safety concerns, but why the postponement is not considered for the women when the men’s tournaments go on without hesitation? ”
Hockey Hall of Fame member Hayley Wickenheiser claimed on Twitter that she questioned why the FIHG was canceling the women’s Under-18 tournament.
PHOTO GEORGE PIMENTEL, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Hayley wickenheiser
“It has nothing to do with safety if they can organize the men’s tournament,” she wrote, noting that this event is a bigger source of income for the FIHG. When there is a desire, there is a way. I question the desire of the FIHG. ”
“We are disappointed, outraged,” added the Association of Professional Hockey Players on Twitter. These women deserve better still. ”
FIHG Director of Communications Adam Steiss said the World Junior Hockey Championship was allowed to kick off as the January tournaments were canceled because “the epidemiological situation changed dramatically after players under 20 had started their 40s ”.
The Group A, Group B and Second Division women’s under-18 tournaments were also canceled, as were the Group B and Second Division men’s under-20 tournaments.
The FIHG claimed that it was impossible to postpone the Women’s World Under-18 Championship “due to the commitments in the Swedish leagues”.
The last World Women’s Under-18 Championship was held in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2020. The United States defeated Canada in the final.
“These are hard facts to face and like last year, we have to make the difficult decision to cancel the FIHG men’s and women’s events, including the Women’s Under-18 World Championship for a second year in a row. », Explained the president of the FIHG, Luc Tardif, in a press release.
“The World Women’s Under-18 Championship is an important part of solidifying and building girls’ and women’s hockey, but we have great respect and understanding for the decision based on the pandemic situation in the world,” he added.
Hockey Canada’s Director of Women’s National Teams, Gina Kingsbury, also reacted to the FIHG’s decision.
“Our staff and athletes are extremely disappointed to learn that the World Women’s Under-18 Championship has been canceled for the second year in a row. Our entire team had put all the necessary efforts on and off the ice to ensure their preparation for the tournament next month. We even canceled our selection camp to be safe and ensure that our players and staff could represent Canada on the world stage, ”said Kingsbury.
“We understand the volatility of the current environment and the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. We also know that the decision to cancel an event is never taken lightly. We are grateful for the time and work invested in trying to move forward with the event in a safe manner for all. We will now look to the next opportunity to see our athletes representing Canada and playing for gold in the near future, ”she concluded.