The final decision on the venue for the 2021 World Championship will be made in January

The venue for the 2021 World Championship will be determined by the end of January.

The IIHF is still considering the venue for the tournament and a decision has yet to be made. Initially, it was supposed to be held in Belarus and Latvia, but, due the Covid-19 outbreak and the political situation in Belarus after the disputed elections which confirmed Lukashenko's presidency, have caused the IIHF to reconsider the allocation of the championship. Latvia, co-organizer, has repeatedly stated in recent months that it would not agree to organize an event with Belarus for the violation of the opposition and the repression of protest demonstrations.

IIHF President Renè Fasel was supposed to meet Lukashenko in December but his covid-19 positive postponed the meeting to the second half of January.

According to Fasel, the IIHF  "will do everything possible for the World Championship to take place in Minsk.We will make every effort to do this"

Riga (Latvia), Prague (Czech Republic) and Bratislava (Slovakia), the last two countries possibly hosting the tournament together, are considering as the possible alternative places

2021 World Championship should take place from May 21 to June 6.

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