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DEB President Franz Reindl assumes that Russia will be deprived of the 2023 World Cup
From the point of view of DEB President Franz Reindl, the Ice Hockey World Championship 2023 must not take place in St. Petersburg as planned. The member of the executive body of the world federation IIHF assumes that Russia will be deprived of the world championship at the latest at the end of May at the congress in Tampere, Finland.
“From today’s point of view, I can’t imagine playing a World Cup in Russia,” said Reindl in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “It’s going in that direction,” said the German head of the association with regard to a World Cup withdrawal.
For the current year, the IIHF had already canceled all events planned in Russia and also excluded the national teams of Russia and the Russian ally Belarus from the World Championship tournament in Finland this May. According to Reindl, the events for the coming year are on the agenda at a meeting at the end of April. It is possible that a decision will be made then.