The following statement is from IIHF President René Fasel.

Last week, the IIHF requested and was granted a meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to address the multiple issues surrounding the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, scheduled to take place in Minsk, Belarus, and Riga, Latvia. 
 
I together with IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner planned to travel to Minsk today to discuss with the Belarus President the safety issues that are affecting preparations for the tournament, the allegations surrounding Belarus Ice Hockey Association President Dmitry Baskov, the current COVID-19 situation in the country, and what steps are being taken to ensure that the tournament can be held safely and in cooperation with co-hosts Latvia. 
 
However, during a COVID-19 test taken prior to departure, both General Secretary Lichtner and myself were informed that we have both tested positive for COVID-19. 
 
The IIHF office has been working remotely, and we do not expect that there will be further cases amongst the office staff. General Secretary Lichtner and myself are both in isolation at home for the next ten days. 
 
The meeting with the Belarus President has been postponed until further notice. As a result of this positive test, a virtual meeting with the IIHF Member National Associations that was scheduled for this Friday will also be postponed. 
 
Preparations will continue within the IIHF for the upcoming 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. The IIHF staff and officials that have been assigned to work at the tournament in Edmonton are currently undergoing the planned pre-departure quarantine protocol that is also being followed by all participating teams and game officials. Neither myself nor the IIHF General Secretary were scheduled to be on-site during this tournament as the IIHF is keeping the number of officials to a strictly operational level. 
 
The IIHF remains committed towards working to ensure that the tournaments scheduled for the 2020/21 season can take place in a safe and secure environment. We will continue our work with the various organizing committees and keep communication open with our members going forward.
 
Sincerely,

René Fasel, IIHF President
 
The IIHF wishes a smooth recovery to both IIHF President Fasel and General Secretary Horst Lichtner. Further updates regarding the status of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will be shared at a later date.