Belarus Ready To Host 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship Without Latvia - Lukashenko

Belarus is ready to host the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship even if fellow co-host Latvia refuses to participate, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday, adding that the event would be the "best world championship in history."

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2021) Belarus is ready to host the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship even if fellow co-host Latvia refuses to participate, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday, adding that the event would be the "best world championship in history."

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Rene Fasel traveled to Minsk for a meeting with the Belarusian president to discuss the ongoing issues surrounding the competition, which is expected to start this coming May, the state-run Belta news agency reports. The Latvian government has previously said that it is no longer willing to co-host the event with Belarus due to the public unrest that broke out following the Belarusian presidential election of August 9 and subsequent police response.

"If the International Ice Hockey Federation is able to resist undue pressure, it means that we will hold the world championship.

If Latvia refuses, we will host the world championship in Belarus, and it will be the best world championship in history," Lukashenko said during his meeting with Fasel, as quoted by the agency.

The Belarusian president also said that there would be no security issues should the event be held in Minsk, the agency said.

The 2021 IIHF World Championship is scheduled to take place from May 21 to June 6 in both Minsk and Riga.

A wave of public unrest swept through Belarus following the August 9 presidential election that saw Lukashenko win a sixth term in office by a landslide.

Latvia, along with the rest of the European Union, has refused to recognize the result of the vote and has slapped sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials.