Germany proposed not to limit itself to statements of solidarity with the protesters against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, but to confirm this in practice: to deprive the Belarusian authorities of the right to host the World Ice Hockey Championship, which starts in May. The press service of the German Foreign Ministry writes about this, quoting Minister Heiko Maas.
“The world admires the courage of Belarusians demanding freedom. Lukashenka responded with brutal repressions. If we are serious about solidarity with Belarus, then the World Cup cannot be held there. It’s not about political maneuvering, but about taking a position,” he said.
The dictator of Belarus Lukashenka is a fan of hockey and plays himself, mostly on camera.
The World Hockey Championship is planned for the period from May 21 to June 6 in Minsk and Riga (Latvia). Belarus already has experience in hosting the World Ice Hockey Championship: it was in 2014.
On January 11, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation Rene Fasel arrived in Minsk, where he hugged Lukashenko and discussed the World Cup. Later, he posted a photo with the president of the Belarusian ice hockey federation Dmitry Baskov: the protesters were accused of suppressing actions against the regime, although he denies almost everything.
Later, the Minsk organizing committee for the 2021 World Cup said that they expect the IHF “to firmly follow the principles of Olympism, and not to please the ambitions of political opportunists.”
- In September 2020, Latvia called for the World Cup to be held with another country instead of Belarus.
- Some media outlets wrote that the matches could be fully transferred to Latvia, or partially to Russia or Finland.
- Earlier, many called for a boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but this did not lead to anything.
- A month ago, Russia was suspended from international sports competitions for two years.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
.jpeg "Nature holidays: on a sailing boat to the Pontine Islands with WWF experts")
.jpg "Megan Fox and “compartmentalization”, the self-defense mechanism that was triggered after suffering violence")
