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Lithuania had an unexpected opportunity after the decision of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) to deprive Belarus of its rights. There, protests have been quelled by the country’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, since August.
“Yes, there is a desire, but the main thing is the technical realization,” replied L. Obcarskas when asked about tv3.lt’s interest in the championship.
According to L. Obcarskas, a discussion about the hockey championship is already taking place in the ministry offices, but the main questions remain: what will the IIHF and Latvia want.
The Minister of Education, Science and Sports Jurgita Šiugždinienė, speaking with the Minister of Education and Science of Latvia Ilga Šuplinska on Wednesday, expressed Lithuania’s determination to help organize part of the World Hockey Championship in our country.
“There has been no hockey competition of this level in Lithuania, and now we have a historic opportunity. It is necessary to evaluate this possibility and offer specific help to Latvia. Lithuania has already shown that it is capable of organizing high-level sports competitions. one of the greatest challenges in the history of sport in our country, “said Minister J. Šiugždinienė.
“Especially after yesterday’s statements, the wish really is. Now it is necessary to see if it is possible to make wishes come true,” said Vaidas Budrauskas, general secretary of the Lietuva Hockey Association.
The World Hockey Championship will take place from May 21 to June 6. This means that Lithuania, having received the right to contribute to training, should prepare for only 4 months.
“The main obstacle is lack of time and lack of experience in organizing such a high-level tournament,” said V. Budrauskas. “As I said, there is no single reason, including funding. Compared to the competitors who have expressed their desire to host the tournament, their teams play in the championship. For them, it is a huge advantage when it comes to attracting spectators. But again, can we invite spectators?
There are many questions that hardly anyone would give an unequivocal answer to, including the IIHF. As a result, they are considering all possible scenarios, weighing the pros and cons, ”commented V. Budrauskas.
Lithuania has previously organized more modest hockey tournaments. The last one took place in Kaunas in 2018, where the IB group tournament was organized.
However, the World Cup requires more careful preparation and the health protocol is also important in the current situation.
The 2021 world hockey championships were to be hosted by Minsk and Riga, but the Latvians expressed their reluctance to host the championships together with Belarus.
IIHF chief Rene Fasel had met with Lukashenko last week to discuss the championship. However, after the meeting, Mr. Fasel himself acknowledged that the situation was difficult.
A little later, the sponsors also refused to support the championship if the championship is to be held in Minsk.
It is reported that there is currently talk of whether the Latvians will host the world championship with another state or if they will host one.
The hockey championship is scheduled from May 21 to June 6. Sixteen of the best national teams in the world are fighting in the World Championship.
The teams are divided into two groups: in Group B will play Latvia, Canada, Finland, the United States, Germany, Norway, Italy and Kazakhstan in Riga, and in Group A will play Belarus, Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia , Denmark and Great Britain.
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