CBC Canada reports that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) women’s world championship due to be held in Nova Scotia has been cancelled for the second time.
The IIHF and Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that they received confirmation from the provincial government of Nova Scotia that the championship in Halifax and Truro will be cancelled due to safety concerns associated with COVID-19.
The championship was called off a day before participating countries were to set to arrive and begin quarantine.
“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 release.
“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.”
Nova Scotia imposed travel restrictions Tuesday barring travellers from outside the province, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador from entering unless travel is essential or they’re permanent residents of Nova Scotia.
The 2020 championship in Nova Scotia was cancelled because of the global pandemic.
The 2021 tournament was scheduled for April 7-17, but then pushed back in hopes the situation would improve.
Both the IIHF and Hockey Canada have pledged to work toward finding new dates for the tournament, with the goal of hosting the event in the summer of 2021.