OREANDA-NEWS. The International Ice Hockey Federation will soon have to decide whether to hold the 2021 World Cup in Belarus and Latvia, or whether it is better to move the tournament to another country. The reason for the possible postponement of this competition was the unstable political situation in Minsk, where protests do not subside after the presidential elections.

It is known that Latvian politicians and sports figures condemned the Belarusian authorities. However, the IIHF has not yet made any decision on the world championship, although one of the federation officials said in the spirit that Latvia has the opportunity to host the tournament alone.

According to the Swedish publication Expressen, a number of Western countries are inclined to boycott the competitions if they are held in Minsk and pressure on the international federation will be exerted in order to move the world championship to a third country. Swedish journalists believe that Canada has the best chances as a possible venue for the championship.

The fact is that Canada, like the UK, and like a number of other countries, has imposed sanctions against the leaders of Belarus, and it is very likely that the founders of hockey will win the right to host the world championship.

It should be noted that in Sweden itself, the situation around the upcoming World Cup is still quite calm.