The 2020 men’s world hockey championships have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced Saturday.
The tournament was to have taken place in the Swiss cities of Zurich and Lausanne starting May 8 and running through May 24. The women’s world hockey championships, which were to have been held in Canada, were canceled two weeks ago.
“This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept,” Rene Fasel, the IIHF’s president, said in a statement released Saturday. “The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government bodies to combat its spread.