The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed another major chunk of events on the hockey calendar.
The International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Friday morning that, due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases that have plagued organized sports over the past several weeks, the difficult decision has been made to cancel all events that were scheduled to held in January.
These events, among others, include the U18 Women’s World Championship, which will now be canceled for a second consecutive year.
In an official statement following this morning’s announcement, the IIHF stated that due to “league commitments within Sweden during possible postponement dates”, the organization was unable to push the U18 tournament to a later date, and a cancelation was the only feasible option.
It’s a crushing blow to women players, and hockey fans in general, everywhere.
The U18 Women’s World Championship is a seminal date on the hockey calendar, producing some of the most entertaining hockey of the year and introducing the public to the next wave of high-end talent. Canceling the event for a second straight year while the U20 Men’s World Junior Championship chugs along unabated amid grand fanfare sends a disappointing message to the talented women who were set to compete at the top of their craft.
Hopefully, some measures can be taken to ensure that the top U18 women’s talent in the world can have a stage upon which to perform in 2022.
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