The 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship has been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns for the second time.
The championship was scheduled for May 6-16 in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia.
In a joint statement, the IIHF and Hockey Canada said they would attempt to reschedule the tournament once again, this time in the summer of 2021.
“In the end, we must accept the decision of the government,” the organizations said. “This does not mean that we will not have a Women’s World Championship in 2021. We owe it to every single player that was looking forward to getting back on the ice after such a difficult year that we do everything possible to ensure this tournament can be moved to new dates and played this year.”
While the U.S. women’s national team was set to arrive via ground transportation, eight teams boarding IIHF charters Wednesday had to forgo their travel plans.
The reigning world and Olympic champion U.S. women’s national team was also set to have a new coach, as Bob Corkum stepped down Saturday citing disagreement with the COVID-19 protocols.