The IIHF women’s hockey tournament has been cancelled for the second straight year.
Premier Iain Rankin withdrew permission for the event to take place in the province at this time because of the evolving situation with COVID-19 and the circulation of variants.
“It was my recommendation the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships be cancelled,” said Rankin. “I sincerely regret the short notice, but the rapidly changing environment dictates this decision in the interest of the safety of Nova Scotians and participants.”
The tournament was set to take place in Halifax and Truro from May 6-16.
“This is very disappointing news to receive with just a few weeks until the tournament was to begin,” IIHF president René Fasel said in a statement. “We strongly believe that we had the adequate safety measures in place to protect players, officials, spectators, and all residents in Halifax and Truro, based on the IIHF and Hockey Canada’s experiences from hosting the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.”
Officials in the Premier’s Office were in touch with Hockey Canada and indicated the hope that the tournament will be rescheduled in Nova Scotia at a future date.
“We have worked diligently with Hockey Canada to ensure we can stage a safe and successful world hockey championship and they have been a great partner, but the safety of the Nova Scotia public and participants is paramount and is the reason for our decision.” said Rankin.
Ten teams were set to take part in the event.
