Event in N.S. cancelled because of coronavirus

Yarmouth was have host Team Denmark for its pre-tournament training camp

The upcoming women's world hockey championship in Halifax and Truro has been cancelled because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

Yarmouth was also to have played in part in the event as the Mariners Centre was going to host Team Denmark for its pre-tournament training camp. That was supposed to have happened March 23-29 and would have included on-ice practices and a game against Saint Mary’s’ University.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel told The Associated Press on Saturday, March 7, the twoweek tournament wouldn't go forward because of the health risks for everyone involved.

“The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has diligently monitored the development and risk of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and under the recommendation of the chief medical officer of health of the province of Nova Scotia and the IIHF, it was determined the best course of action was to cancel the event," Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said in a statement. "This decision was made in the best interest of the players, fans, staff, volunteers and the general public, and we fully support the IIHF’s decision.

"Our organization has been assured by the IIHF that it will honour Hockey Canada’s hosting agreement and that the IIHF Women’s World Championship will return to Halifax and Truro in 2021, subject to formal approval by the IIHF Congress,” Renney added. “A tremendous amount of work has been put forth by our athletes, staff, the host organizing committee and our partners, and we look forward to continuing to prepare for this world-class event when it returns to Nova Scotia in 2021.”

Teams from 10 nations were to attend this year's tournament in Nova Scotia, they included Canada, United States, Japan, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark and Hungary.

“This has been a very unique and difficult season, and while it has given us the opportunity to prepare for worlds with our mini-camps, this is tremendously disappointing for our athletes, coaches and staff who have been working tirelessly all season," said Gina Kingsbury, director of Canada's women's teams. "Any time we can represent our country it is a special honour and we are proud to have that opportunity. Turning our attention towards the 2021 world championship, nothing changes in our preparations; we will continue to build our team and focus on competing for a gold medal on home ice next year.”

This was the sixth IIHF tournament to be called off this year because of the coronavirus so it seems probable the upcoming world under-18 men's tournament in April will also be vulnerable to cancellation, as will the world men's championship in May.

The women's worlds were supposed to be held March 31-April 10. The 2003 tournament in Beijing was also cancelled because of the SARS outbreak.

“Hockey Canada staff, the local host organizing committee, Hockey Nova Scotia and our partners have been working tirelessly over the past 16 months in preparation for this event, and we appreciate all the effort that will help make the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship a world-class event for the Province of Nova Scotia,” said Hockey Canada president and chief operating officer Scott Smith.

When Yarmouth and Acadian Shore Tourism Assocaition announced the Team Denmark training camp, YASTA executive director Neil MacKenzie, had said they had hoped to also work with the local women’s hockey program during the event.

“We’ll be reaching out to our local women’s hockey program to help us host team Denmark,” he had said in February. “We want to see our female hockey players learn as much as they can from these international athletes and hopefully get a chance to interact with them. It’s a great opportunity for young players to see high-level women’s hockey. And, of course, we love welcoming international visitors too.”