Canada and the United States (pictured Brianne Jenner and Brianna Decker) have won most gold medals in IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship history and will meet again in August.
photo: Marko Ditkun / HHOF Images
The IIHF Council has agreed in principle to a new set of dates for the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.
The Women’s Worlds were scheduled to take place initially from 6-16 May 2021, before last week’s sudden cancellation announcement by the government of Nova Scotia.
Following a conference call with the participating teams on 29 April, the IIHF Council met today and agreed that the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship will take place between 20-31 August, with a venue still to be determined.
“The players, the teams, Hockey Canada, and the IIHF have been placed in a difficult position due to the sudden cancellation. But this is not an excuse to operate this tournament as a half-measure,” said IIHF President René Fasel. “We needed a range of dates that can work for the teams and also would allow for comprehensive broadcast coverage as well as a chance for spectators to be able to attend the games.”
Fasel noted that the search for new dates was not easy to complete due to varying availabilities of the teams and league commitments.
“In our meeting with the teams, unfortunately we were unable to achieve a full consensus on the dates, with some teams preferring to play in early September and others in late August. But we need to respect as much as possible the start of various women’s leagues around the world, and also recognize the needs of the four teams that must prepare for the Women’s Olympic Qualification tournament in November.”
“I would like to thank the Council, Hockey Canada, and the teams for their input and participation in a decision-making process that was organized on such short notice. We passed an important first milestone by finding the optimal dates to hold this event and now will proceed to the next stage and choose a suitable venue.”
The IIHF together with Hockey Canada will next move towards evaluating potential venues for the Women’s World Championship in Canada, with a new host expected to be chosen in the coming weeks.
The Women’s Worlds were scheduled to take place initially from 6-16 May 2021, before last week’s sudden cancellation announcement by the government of Nova Scotia.
Following a conference call with the participating teams on 29 April, the IIHF Council met today and agreed that the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship will take place between 20-31 August, with a venue still to be determined.
“The players, the teams, Hockey Canada, and the IIHF have been placed in a difficult position due to the sudden cancellation. But this is not an excuse to operate this tournament as a half-measure,” said IIHF President René Fasel. “We needed a range of dates that can work for the teams and also would allow for comprehensive broadcast coverage as well as a chance for spectators to be able to attend the games.”
Fasel noted that the search for new dates was not easy to complete due to varying availabilities of the teams and league commitments.
“In our meeting with the teams, unfortunately we were unable to achieve a full consensus on the dates, with some teams preferring to play in early September and others in late August. But we need to respect as much as possible the start of various women’s leagues around the world, and also recognize the needs of the four teams that must prepare for the Women’s Olympic Qualification tournament in November.”
“I would like to thank the Council, Hockey Canada, and the teams for their input and participation in a decision-making process that was organized on such short notice. We passed an important first milestone by finding the optimal dates to hold this event and now will proceed to the next stage and choose a suitable venue.”
The IIHF together with Hockey Canada will next move towards evaluating potential venues for the Women’s World Championship in Canada, with a new host expected to be chosen in the coming weeks.