Latvian Prime Minister Sees No Opportunity To Hold IIHF World Championship With Belarus

RIGA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) Latvian Prime Minster Krisjanis Karins said that he saw no opportunity for his country to hold the next IIHF World Championship together with Belarus over the violence that erupted in the latter country following the presidential election.

The 2021 IIHF World Championship is to be hosted by Riga and Minsk from May 21 to June 6. On Tuesday, the International Ice Hockey Federation told Sputnik that it was closely following the situation in Belarus but had no plans yet to reschedule the tournament or look for another hosting country.

"I think that the developments in Belarus are changing the situation. Currently, I do not see how our country can organize the championship together with Belarus. I have already asked the Ministry of education and Science, which is responsible for sports to communicate with the International Ice Hockey Federation in order to find a solution and understand how we should act," the prime minister said on late Thursday.

On Sunday, Belarus held the presidential election. According to the Belarusian Central Election Commission, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko secured his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote. The country's opposition, which consolidated around presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has challenged the election results, accusing the authorities of massive falsifications during the voting.

Since the announcement of the official results, opposition rallies have engulfed Belarusian cities, with security forces trying to put them down.